The moment we've all been waiting for!
I'm truly sorry about the delay – I'm in my busy season at work, and I'm in the process of moving, so writing time's been in short supply. This is also a massively long chapter.
Suggested soundtrack for this chapter is "Come to Me" by the Goo Goo Dolls. Or their whole Magnetic album, really. Also "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri. Enjoy!
Nathan woke alone and numb. He reached out to pull Audrey toward him but no matter how he stretched there was no burst of warmth to give away her position. He pried open his eyes to discover the bed was empty beside him.
Wasn't even his bed, either.
"Morning," a man's voice called from the kitchen. As Nathan blinked and sat up the details of last night clicked into place. Duke had insisted he couldn't see Audrey before the wedding, so after the party he'd been banished to the Gull with James.
His son was currently behind the stove, whipping up some heavenly smelling eggs.
Nathan ambled over, settling on one of Audrey's old kitchenette chairs. He'd helped her pick them out at a yard sale ages ago, the real Audrey Parker also in tow, but the way those two had carried on he'd been fairly certain he'd only been invited for his muscles and his truck.
He'd had the perfect view of her smile as she and Audrey bickered, so he hadn't minded at all.
He'd been far gone, even then.
They were getting married today.
The sheer incomprehensible joy of that welled up inside him. Didn't matter that he'd woken up alone today. He'd never wake up alone again.
Today, for some inexplicable reason, Audrey was going to swear to spend the rest of her life by his side.
He'd never understand why. But by God he was going to make the most of it.
James slid an omelet in front of him. Nathan could smell the sharp cheddar and greasy bacon. "Can I help with anything?"
"Could throw in some toast."
"Sure."
He knew where Audrey had kept the bread. He'd been the one to arrange her kitchen after he'd gone out and bought her groceries because she'd had her own place for a month and still had no discernable provisions. James hadn't moved it, and Nathan found butter and jam in the fridge. By the time the toast popped James had finished his own omelet.
"This is really good," Nathan praised after his first bite. He'd always be a pancake man, but he could appreciate a good egg, and apparently James knew his way around a kitchen.
"Thanks. I know I'm not the one you wanted to see this morning."
"Least you saved me from having to sleep on Duke's damn boat."
James laughed, but there was something tentative in it. They were definitely family, but they'd never had time to figure out what that meant.
"I'm glad you could share this with us," Nathan said earnestly, looking the kid full in the face. He could see pieces of Audrey there, and pieces of himself, and it was the damnedest thing. He wished he'd had the chance to watch him grow up, to teach him all the things a man should know. But at least he was here now.
"Me too." James's brow furrowed. "You know, in the Barn I prepared this big speech I was going to give you about not hurting her. Seems superfluous now."
"I'd rather cut out my own heart than hurt her," he swore.
"Obviously," James said with a smirk. "You're what Lucy would call 'a complete sap.'"
It was so strange to think that James had a whole history with a part of Audrey he'd never see. It was Audrey he loved, but he couldn't help being curious about these other people she'd been. "What was Lucy like?" he asked.
James didn't answer immediately like Audrey would. Instead he pondered the question, and Nathan could imagine the methodical paths his mind took to carefully choose each word.
"She had all the toughest parts of Sarah and the coldest ones of Audrey, I reckon. She was aloof, but I think that was to protect herself. She was used to disappointment by the time I met her – and then we found out about the Barn. But she was witty and brilliant, and she helped wherever she went, even when it seemed like she didn't want to. She kept your father on his toes."
He was teasing by the time he was through, and Nathan appreciated that. "That couldn't have been easy."
James smiled, but the tentativeness was still there. "What was Sarah like?" he asked, voice dropping as if the subject was taboo.
The flash of memory was somehow instinctual – the red hair and that gorgeous, carefree smile. He'd wanted so desperately to see it on Audrey's face, he'd looked at Sarah and been willing to pretend.
He'd lost his way before he found Sarah, and she'd helped him find it – not just his proper year, but his proper path. After being with Sarah, he couldn't hide from Audrey any longer. "She was … vibrant. So full of life. All sass and nerve. I'm not exactly proud of how that went down, but I wouldn't change it. Not with the result sitting right in front of me."
It was still unfathomable, after all this time, that he and Sarah had a son.
"I'm glad you found each other – then and now. And that Lucy was wrong."
He didn't like that Lucy had seen him as the cad in this story. Or that he'd turned out to be far more of an absentee father than his own. He rubbed at the back of his neck. "Look, I know we're still practically strangers. With everything that's been going on there hasn't been much time – but I want to change that. You ever been fishing?"
"Sure. We'd pull trout out of the river every spring."
He had the tact not to specify the other half of that 'we' but Nathan knew who he was referring to. And even though he was grateful that James grew up with a loving family, it still killed him that family wasn't him and Audrey. But he swallowed the lump in his throat. Wasn't the kid's fault. "What about ocean fishing?"
"Nope."
"We should go sometime." He wanted to try harder. Needed to. Maybe this was how his own father had gotten so distant – the increasing demands of a town constantly in crisis and the countless folks in distress who cried louder than the boy silently wishing for his attention.
James's smile unfurled like a flag on the wind. "I'd like that."
"We'll pick a date. Make a day of it." There were still things he could teach James. He wouldn't waste any more chances.
"Gotta get you hitched first. We better get ready. I promised Mom I'd come by to help her, and Duke left us quite a to do list."
Even mention of the smuggler couldn't bother Nathan today. In just a few hours, he and Audrey would be married.
Contrary to the weather report, it was a beautiful day.
They'd decided on an outdoor wedding. Because of the Rev Nathan could hardly stomach walking into a church, and he didn't need that baggage on his wedding day. Audrey had agreed readily enough. The biggest challenge had been finding a picturesque spot where they didn't already have a history – they couldn't get married at the place their son had died, or been conceived, or where his father had self-destructed. Duke had griped he was being too picky, but he wanted a new place for a new memory, and they deserved that.
He'd done his best to keep things simple. Since they hadn't invited many people it didn't take long to set up a handful of chairs halfway down to the water. They'd laid down a strip of carpet to make it easier for Audrey in her shoes and flanked the ceremony area with baskets of lilacs and lilies, at Audrey's insistence.
There were dozens of details that had come together – from the white lily pinned to his suit to the particular arrangements the keyboardist was playing. But as pretty a picture it was, Nathan barely cared. He watched the guests filter in – a few folks from the station, an aunt and a cousin, Dwight – but the only one that mattered to him was Audrey. James had gone to retrieve her an hour ago, and every minute since then had stretched and multiplied. Back in his childhood he would have felt the itch in his limbs; now he drummed his fingers against his legs just to give himself something to do.
"When she gets here you better remember to breath, big guy," Duke taunted. "We can't have you not noticing you've stopped and passing out on us. Though I brought smelling salts, just in case." He tapped his jacket pocket with an exaggerated gesture.
"Stop being an ass." But he couldn't muster up any actual aggravation. Not today, when his world was so uncharacteristically right.
"I'm serious." Duke actually sounded it, oddly enough. "You'll know what I mean when you see her."
He grunted. It would probably be fair advice coming from anyone other than Duke.
"You sure are a lucky bastard, getting a woman like that to marry you." There were a range of emotions in Duke's voice, but none of them were sharp. Nathan watched the man out of the corner of his eye, surprised by how at peace he seemed. "But I'm happy for the both of you. Really am. Even if I do give fate all the credit."
Nathan was suddenly struck by the notion that he'd never be able to stand up there if it was Duke Audrey had chosen. He couldn't help but respect the man for that. Perhaps he had changed.
All such pondering came to a halt as the music swelled.
"It's go time, Pinocchio," Duke whispered. "Time to turn you back into a real boy."
Then Audrey appeared, and words failed him. Love and joy and pride sent him spinning as if a wave had knocked his legs out from under him. She was the definition of perfection. Her white dress hugged the glorious curves he was so familiar with, v-ing just deep enough in the front to reveal a hint of cleavage. There was something on the fabric that shimmered. Her hair cascaded in loose curls, half of them pinned away from her face, a white lily behind her ear. She clutched James's arm with one hand and a purple bouquet of lilacs with the other. By far the best part was her smile as their eyes met, so radiant it put the sun to shame.
Then suddenly it wasn't just his emotions that were churning. Audrey was replaced with a view of the ground coming up quickly, and he stopped himself as he pitched forward. He turned toward Duke as soon as he righted himself, and the man looked far too proud of himself.
"Breathe," he advised with a smirk.
Nathan deliberately did just that, figuring everyone was too focused on the bride to notice his lapse. He was too ecstatic to be embarrassed, anyway.
It seemed to take forever for Audrey to reach him, but finally James clapped him on the shoulder and then placed her hand in his. She tightened her fingers and he reveled in the warmth and softness.
"Wow," he breathed, unable to help himself, not caring that the guests could probably hear him. Audrey's smile grew impossibly brighter, the most soothing balm he'd ever come across in his weary life.
"We gather here today to join Nathan Wuornos and Audrey Parker in holy matrimony," the minister began. Nathan knew he should probably pay attention to what he was saying, but there was nothing he could say about love that Audrey hadn't already taught him, no advice about marriage that would change his determination to cherish her for eternity. Standing together on that beach he could see their whole lives spread before him – holding their next child, baseball games and piano recitals, walking their daughter down the aisle, warm nights curled up on the porch swing, growing old together. Blissful, overwhelming normalcy. Love and family and tradition, and he would give her that and so much more.
"Can I say something?" Audrey interrupted, the thumb skimming across his hand quelling the nerves that had flared at her interjection.
"Certainly," the pastor said with an indulgent smile.
She took an exaggerated breath, and when she looked at him there were tears glistening in her eyes. But she was still beaming, and he knew he didn't have to fear anything she had to say.
"You asked me once if I was going to fix you. But you fixed me. You taught me so many things I never learned growing up, and even in your weakness you taught me how to forgive. I don't know what I did to deserve your devotion, but I will cherish it always. Cherish you. And I swear to love you back just as fiercely for as long as there's breath in my body. We're a team. We have been since we met. I'll never let anything come between us again."
If only they were alone. He would have kissed her until they both saw stars, and etched his devotion into her skin. As it was, words were the appropriate response. They'd never discussed writing their own vows, so he didn't have anything prepared. But he wanted her to feel as good as he did in that moment, and that inspired him.
"Audrey." But that was who she was to the world, not who she was to him. They'd been partners first, and now there was nothing that could break that apart. "Parker," he corrected, and she smiled even brighter. "You gave me back everything the Troubles took away. Hope. Joy. Love. Family. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me and I'm gonna spend every day of my life making sure you know how much I love you."
He yearned to wipe her tears away, but he knew she wouldn't want attention drawn to them. There would be time later, when they were alone.
"Well," the minister said. "I'd say that takes care of most objections. But if there's anyone here with reason these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace."
He tensed, ready for some bitter townsperson to intervene, and glanced over at Duke. But the man was smiling and there was no interruption.
"Then let us begin the vows. Who has the rings?"
James pulled them from his jacket pocket, placing Sarah's ring in Nathan's hand and a plain gold band in Audrey's.
"Audrey, do you take Nathan to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, to honor and to cherish, in sickness and in health, from this day forward, as long as you both shall live? If so answer 'I do.'"
"I do."
"Then repeat after me. 'With this ring, I thee wed."
Her hand shook, but her voice was steady as she slid the ring on his finger. "With this ring, I thee wed."
"Nathan –"
"Yes." The minister chuckled at his impatience, but he couldn't imagine delaying this another minute. But the minister continued with the vows, and this time he waited for him to finish before he said "I do." He forced himself to focus so he wouldn't drop the ring. "With this ring, I thee wed," he said, reverently sliding the ring made by a less worthy man onto her delicate finger to rest beside the engagement ring.
"Then by the power vested in me by the state of Maine, I declare you husband and wife. What God has joined, may no man tear asunder. You may kiss the bride."
He was so intent on that task, the way she gasped into his mouth and tasted of home, that he didn't notice the wind in his hair or the sun beating down on his dark suit.
Not until they'd broken apart and Duke clapped him on the back. "Congratulations buddy."
He wheeled on the man with wide eyes.
"Whoa, relax Romeo."
"I felt that," he revealed, back still stinging from the contact.
"Really?" Duke seemed genuinely elated.
"Yeah."
He'd never know how it happened, but suddenly the two of them were embracing, and Duke was solid under his arms.
"Do I need to get the two of you a room?"
Nathan pushed Duke away, startled out of the moment, to find Audrey watching him with delighted eyes. He grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her in the air, grinning at her breathless giggle. "You're safe." The realization crashed over him, making him giddy as he spun her, repeating it over and over. He could feel gravity again, but he was weightless, the future he'd seen at the altar locked into place.
"We're safe," she corrected softly. "You're stuck with me for a lot longer than a couple of weeks."
No more Guard. No more Troubles. No more talk of sacrifices and misery.
"Thank God."
He kissed her again until he felt the strain in his arms and had to put her down. He dropped his forehead against hers, breathing in the blissful peace.
"Are the Troubles really gone?"
He looked up at the sound of Dwight's voice, but kept Audrey tucked into his side.
"There's one way to find out," Duke offered.
"No one's bleeding on my wedding day!" Audrey scolded.
"They're gone," Nathan insisted with a certainty he felt in his racing heart. He wasn't the only one free today. It was over.
Dwight nodded, his uncharacteristic smile making him seem mischievous. "I'll see you at the reception then. There's something I gotta do first." The cleaner scurried away, leaving Duke to mutter, "There's something going on with that man," as James and Audrey embraced.
"We should head out too," Duke said after a moment. "Gotta make sure everything's ready at the Gull before the guests arrive."
"You can't leave before the pictures," Audrey insisted.
"There's that bridezilla I knew was in there," Duke teased.
"Shut up. Now that we're all going to be around to remember this I want some photos. Just stand there and smile."
"Fine. Though I warn you, I'm going to be the handsomest person in them. I can't turn this off."
They'd been wary of telling too many people about the wedding, so Audrey had agreed to let Dave be the photographer. As he approached them now there were tears in his eyes. "You look beautiful, Audrey."
She smoothed her hands down the dress self-consciously. "Thanks."
"You take care of her Nathan."
"I will," he swore. He'd been wary of the Teagues ever since he revealed James's paternity, but Dave wasn't showing any sharp edges now. Audrey had told him that Dave had loved Sarah, and Nathan couldn't imagine himself in this man's place, with a life wasted waiting only to see her love and marry another.
Nathan normally had no use for photography, but he didn't mind this. Even though he'd commit every moment of this day to memory it would be good to have a physical reminder. He let Audrey and Dave run the show, only finding it hard to tear his eyes away from Audrey to look at the camera.
Eventually James and Duke snuck off, leaving him and Audrey to a few dozen more shots.
Once he finally finished Dave packed his camera back in its case. "Vince sends his regards," he said solemnly. "He'd like to deliver them to you himself at the reception."
"No," Audrey answered sharply. "I know this all turned out all right and I ought to forgive him – but not today."
Nathan could muster none of Dave's sadness. Vince had dared to have their son killed, and he was lucky Nathan hadn't returned the favor. "Very well. I'll send you a portfolio as soon as these are developed."
"Thanks."
Dave looked at him before he turned to go. "You father would have been proud of you today, Nathan."
The idea of that stirred something that settled like a lump in his throat. "I'm not sure that's true," he said wistfully after Dave had gone. "He'd probably think getting hitched was a sissy way to end the Troubles."
"He would have been happy for you," Audrey countered. "And glad that I didn't get you killed."
It surprised him that he actually wished his father had been there to see this, even though it would have surely meant a couple of barbs and quite a bit of grumbling.
"We oughta get to that reception," he deflected.
She followed him to the Bronco, but after he pulled out on the road she asked him to go in the opposite direction, pointing toward the coast. "And roll the windows down."
It took him a few moments to figure out the reason for her request. He watched her out of the corner of his eye, her pristine dress so out of place in his battered pickup, but the spark in her eye familiar. "I just had to come up with an answer I could tell everyone, you know. All I really wanted after I could feel again was you."
Her white dress made her blush even more obvious. "Ditto, partner. But there's no reason you can't have both."
"It'll mess up your hair."
She rolled her eyes at him. "You really think I care? We already took the pictures, anyway." She cranked down her window and looked over at him expectantly. "Come on. It's a nice day. I want to enjoy it too."
Of course he obliged her. The force of the air was a shock at first, cool and strong all the way from his skin to his lungs. He leaned his arm out the window, delighted by the way the sun beat down on it, flooding him with an all-encompassing warmth which the ocean breeze strove to temper. The metal was so hot he could feel it through his sleeve. It was hard to keep focused on the road when the world beyond the windshield was alive, and for the first time in years he was a part of that.
"Is that grin gonna be a permanent fixture now?"
He shifted his gaze to Audrey, who was regarding him with a grin of her own, her hair slightly mussed but still undeniably beautiful.
"Married less than an hour and you're already picking fun," he said dryly, not actually annoyed in the slightest.
"I'm not picking fun," she argued, more earnest than he expected. "Happiness looks good on you, Wuornos."
How could he not smile a little brighter at that? "You too, Parker." He looked back toward the road but kept watching her out of the corner of his eye. "But everything looks good on you," he said casually. "'Specially nothing."
She never expected him to be forward, and he loved catching her off guard.
"We could just keep driving," she offered. "Forget the reception and find someplace we could celebrate, just the two of us."
He'd never known the full effect just her voice could have on him, and he yearned to explore that further. But they couldn't. Not quite yet.
"Duke went to a lot of trouble. We can't stand him up," he said reluctantly.
"You and Duke again. Maybe I should be worried," she teased.
He scowled at the thought of that and she giggled beside him. "Okay, maybe not."
"I never could have stood up there and watched you marry someone else," he admitted after she'd calmed down. "Guess today that makes Duke a better man than I am."
She reached out and rested a hand on his knee. "I couldn't've watched you marry someone else either. You're all mine now." Her words and the patterns she was smoothing across his leg were making it nearly impossible to concentrate on driving, but he couldn't tell her to stop. Her former self might have been a witch, the way she could bespell him. "He's a good friend. He'll find someone someday. But I guess you're right. We should get to that reception."
Nathan took the next turnaround. "We'll make an appearance. But I booked us the honeymoon suite at our B&B in Derry, so we shouldn't stay long."
Her fingers stilled but her grip tightened, promising pleasures he couldn't imagine yet. "My hero," she purred, sending a thrill through him even though she was joking.
There were more cars in the Gull's lot than he'd expected. The reception list was slightly longer than the wedding's, but there weren't many people in town he'd expected to be happy for them. He was sure Audrey noticed too, but she didn't say anything, and he didn't dare put a damper on this.
They entered the restaurant hand in hand, and Duke's voice carried across the microphone, cavalier yet slightly exasperated. "And finally, the moment we've all been waiting for, I introduce Mr. and Mrs. Nathan and Audrey Wuornos."
He was so wrapped up in the sound of that that it took him a few moments to realize that Audrey had stopped beside him.
She stretched up on her toes and whispered, "Did you tell Duke to play this?"
"What?" He listened for a few seconds to figure out what she found so offensive and smirked once he figured it out. "Not a fan of the Captain and Tennille?"
It probably boded poorly for him that he found her adorable when she was annoyed. "Don't you remember?"
"Remember what?"
"The day we met, this was the song playing on the radio. I distinctly remember thinking that I didn't want to die listening to this song."
She certainly had been fired up. Adorable even then. "Didn't hear it. Guess I was too distracted by the pretty blonde with a bad driving record and no survival instinct."
She swatted at his shoulder. "Is that really what you thought of me?"
He chuckled. "Thought you were pretty. But a little mouthy. And awful quick to pull your gun on me."
"You pulled your gun on me! And when you went around my car I thought you had left me there."
"Well that wouldn't have been very chivalrous." He'd never thought a routine rescue could change his life so drastically, but he was grateful. As the song continued to play he couldn't help but smile.
"It did, you know," he told her as he pulled out a chair at the table Duke had set for them. "Keep us together."
"What?"
He chuckled at her. "Love. Like the song said. Love will keep us together." His voice dropped as he sang a couple words, and he took note of the way that made her breath catch and filed that info away for later when they were alone. "It was our love that ended the Troubles and kept you here in Haven. Ironic, isn't it?"
"What, someone had a music relevance Trouble?"
"Nah. Probably just fate. Hey, what if this is our song?" he said with exaggerated zeal.
"I can still divorce you," she deadpanned, so droll he didn't worry about the possibility for a second.
"Sometimes I can't tell when you're kidding," he countered, harkening back to the early days of their partnership.
"Who says I'm kidding?" She kept a straight face but only barely, and then gave up and rolled her eyes at him.
"Took you guys long enough," Duke chided, coming over to stand beside them. "I do not want to know what you were doing."
"Contemplating making a run for Mexico," Audrey answered cheekily. "But this is beautiful, Duke."
Nathan supposed the place did clean up nicely, with white lights strung from the ceiling to chase away the dark corners and enough flowers strewn about to make the whole place smell like Audrey.
"Anything for my favorite cop and her trusty sidekick."
Nathan was trying to think of a comeback when he heard someone squeal, "Look at the fairy lights!" He looked toward the entrance and found Dwight ushering in three girls, the youngest maybe twelve and the oldest practically a woman herself. There was something familiar about them, but Nathan couldn't immediately place it. It was strange seeing Dwight with anyone else; far as Nathan knew he didn't have any family left.
The man in question lumbered toward them. "Sorry I'm late." The youngest girl clutched onto his hand, and she looked at Audrey with bright eyes and a shy smile.
"You're so pretty."
It was Audrey's recognition that spurred his own. "You're-"
"Sophie Benton," he finished, knowing she'd never remember the name that went with the face.
The girl nodded, but clutched even tighter to Dwight. "I'm better now," she mumbled, and Nathan couldn't help but remember the sisters' terrible thirst for human flesh and the manhunt that had left the Rev dead by Audrey's hand. The Troubles had turned the girls into wendigos. "Dwight's gonna take care of us."
"Dwight's been taking care of you for quite some time, I'd bet," Duke said, voice smug with realization. "You know, Sasquatch, you could have told us where you were always running off to. Here we thought you just didn't want to be friends."
"They needed someone to look after them," Dwight hedged. Nathan smiled. Now that the Troubles were over the survivors could begin picking up the pieces.
The eldest girl regarded them with eyes far older than her age. "Mr. Hendrickson said you were the ones that ended the Troubles. That made us normal again. We can never thank you enough for that."
"You don't have to," Audrey said. "Just live your life. That's thanks enough. Though maybe you can get this one to loosen up a little bit." She tilted her head toward Dwight and smiled.
Frankie's answering smile was terse; she'd seen too much to ever be a kid again. But the fact that she'd have a life now outside the slaughterhouse was an unforeseeable gift.
"I never thanked you for saving my life," the middle girl said. The last time Nathan had seen Amelia she'd been terrified and half mad from hunger. She could be a normal girl now, and somehow he and Audrey had done that.
"I'd do it again in a heartbeat." She'd always been a defender of the weak, and he'd always found that ridiculously attractive.
"Why don't you go find us a table," Dwight suggested, and the girls filed away after a few more significant looks.
"Real good thing you're doing," Nathan offered.
The blond man smiled. "They're good girls. Gonna take some time to readjust to normal life. But we can all start to heal now."
Audrey found Nathan's hand under the table and laced them together. He wouldn't need time. His healing had completed the moment he knew she was safe.
"Look, I ran into a friend outside. Didn't want to start anything while the girls were there. He gave me this. Said Audrey would know what it meant."
Dwight pulled a battered paperback from his jacket pocket and handed it to Audrey. She handled it as gingerly as if it was a bomb, opened it to the first page, and then hissed when she read the inscription, slamming the cover shut. For the first time all day dread settled like a stone in Nathan's stomach, but he only allowed himself a second to panic, determination fierce and strong with a voice that sounded a lot like Audrey welling up inside him. No one was taking this away from them.
He snatched the book so he could read it for himself. There was a note scribbled on the title page of Pride and Prejudice. "Fine work, Hester. May this serve as a reminder that impressions can be deceiving. Consider us even. –Prospero."
"Oh no," Audrey spat. "That man killed people – in front of the police! He terrorized you for years. He's not getting away with it!"
Nathan had spent months worrying himself sick about Bernie's influence over the Guard, but that seemed so long ago. He was just a man now, no longer immune to Parker's sense of justice.
"There's no statute of limitations on murder. We should be able to get him on Alistair's death. Probably a few other charges as well. But it doesn't sound like he's going to skip town. So maybe we can not arrest anyone on our wedding day?"
She hesitated, and he knew if she insisted they'd be off in their wedding clothes. Then she let out a breath so heavy it shifted the curls framing her face. "All right. But he doesn't stay free long."
"Pinkie swear," he answered, holding out his hand to her.
She shook her head at his childish gesture, but smiled and linked her finger with his.
"I'm just gonna go," Dwight said awkwardly.
"We are officially one of those sappy couples I hated all my life," Audrey said with a laugh as she watched him leave.
"What's wrong with being happy?" Nathan pouted, tugging her hand up so he could brush his lips across her wrist.
Her eyes fluttered closed for a moment. "Nothing," she sighed.
Their moment was broken by the approach of their waitress. "Champagne for the newlyweds," the woman said with a genuine smile, and Nathan recognized her not just because they were in the Gull all the time but because it had been a case that had first brought them together and etched the worry lines into her face.
"Thank you Tracy," he said as he accepted the glass. "How's the family?"
"We're hanging in. Brooke's at college now. She's doing well."
"And you son?" Audrey asked.
"He holds together most of the time. There have been a couple of episodes, but we've gotten through them."
"I don't think you'll have to worry about that anymore," Audrey said, but she didn't elaborate, and Tracy left the glasses and returned to the kitchen.
At the bar Duke clanged some silverware against his own glass. "I know we're all anxious to eat, but first I'd like to give a toast." Nathan wanted to groan, but held his tongue for Audrey's sake. "To Audrey and Nathan – the beauty and the pain in the ass." Audrey shot Nathan a warning look, and he gritted his teeth and said nothing. He was an expert in enduring Duke's taunts, and the smuggler was using the shit-eating tone that meant in his mind at least it was all a game. "I've been unfortunate enough to know Nathan most of my life, and I met Audrey the first day she came to town – or when I was eight, depending on how you want to look at it." He paused, and Nathan could see something in his veneer crack. When he spoke again there was something honest in his voice Nathan hadn't heard much of in decades. "There's no doubt in my mind that they're far better together than they are apart. Not often does love break a curse and save a town from a host of supernatural afflictions. But I don't think Nathan or Audrey even know the definition of the word normal. But they do understand perseverance, and sacrifice, and if anyone deserves a long, sickening happy life together it's the two of them. So here's to that."
"See, not so bad," Audrey whispered as they clinked their glasses together. But he was too lost in the memory of the skinny, gangly kid who'd carried him down the hill when he broke his arm and sometimes told him uncomfortable truths about his family life before he learned to guild the pain with lies.
James stood next. "Not many people get to give the toast at their parent's first wedding." Nathan could hear nervous twittering as the guests tried to work that out. James parentage wasn't exactly a secret, but they weren't advertising it either. He was sure it was his relatives who were probably most shocked. His Aunt Millie refused to acknowledge the Troubles' existence, and her own brother had shattered into a pile of rubble. But let them talk. Nathan was tired of hiding. "I'm a strange kind of lucky, I guess. I was blessed to grow up watching my adoptive parents love each other. Now I get to watch my birth parents do the same. We've all spent so much time looking for each other. Today we can stop searching and start living."
Audrey's eyes were bright when they turned to each other, and for the first time in years Nathan could feel tears prickling behind his own eyes.
But they tapped their glasses, drank the champagne, and life continued on.
He didn't even flinch when he saw Duke approaching, though he did squint at the way he seemed to be hiding something behind his back.
He leaned toward Nathan conspiratorially. "So I'm only going to give this to you if you pretend it was a special request. The rest of the guests are getting steak." With a flourish he pulled his hand from behind his back to reveal a heaping plate of pancakes.
Nathan opened his mouth but no words came out. Duke chuckled and put a hand on his shoulder before nudging Audrey's arm. "Your lobster's on the way. And you look beautiful."
"Thank you. For everything," Audrey said, voice brimming with sincerity.
"Don't mention it. To anyone." Duke turned away with a wink, and Nathan still hadn't figured out what to say.
And then his attention was captured by something shattering.
He turned toward the sound to see Audrey's lobster on the floor, and Tracy staring at a man who had once been a ghost.
"Tracy, baby, you can see me right?" James Garrick asked. "I think I'm solid again."
With a hitched sob, Tracy threw her arms around her husband. "James."
"I'm here. I think I'm here to stay," he said haltingly.
Nathan turned from the reunion to his own wife, and as their eyes met he was certain the same thought flashed between them. They had done this.
The mermen showed up later.
Audrey had just smeared their wedding cupcake across his cheek so she could kiss off the frosting when the restaurant filled with dripping wet Glendowers.
As Cole Glendower strode toward them Nathan swiped his hand across his face, certain they'd be able to find another cupcake to finish that fantasy later. The man was intimidating even sopping wet, and Nathan squared his shoulders for the confrontation.
"I understand you two are to thank for our return," Cole said, terse and solemn like Garland had been. Maybe it was the similarities between them that made him nervous.
"Yes sir," Nathan answered, not bothering to ask how he had known that.
"I will turn myself in as promised. But I'd like an hour to see my wife first."
The man had killed his own relation, and Nathan knew justice had to be done. But those two torturous years without Audrey made him hate the thought of imposing separation on anyone.
"No arrests on our wedding day, right partner?" Audrey said slyly, and he nodded and took the out she offered him.
"Probably won't be coming in for a few days anyway. Why don't you take a week?"
Cole's lips twitched into a smile. "I will. My family owes you a debt of gratitude we cannot repay."
"Just stay out of trouble," he advised.
"How'd you get back so fast?" Audrey asked. "I thought you were staying well off the coast."
"We felt the change begin three weeks ago. Haven was calling us back home."
He watched the way Audrey's eyes widened, but she waited until Cole was gone to say something. "We got engaged three weeks ago."
"Indeed we did, Captain Obvious," he teased, but he understood her awe. He'd gotten so used to their love destroying lives. This time it was putting them back together.
Soon Duke was calling them up for their first dance. "Thought this song was appropriate," he cracked, voice dripping with mirth over the microphone.
As the first notes played Nathan held out his hand, remembering the first time they had done this. Just like then his heart sped up when she clasped her hand in his, but that warmth was familiar now, though no less affecting. All the awkwardness of that first dance was gone. They found their positions naturally, his spare hand resting on her waist and hers on his shoulder. She stepped close enough to lay her head on his chest and he pressed a kiss to her hair, inhaling her scent. He began to sway with the music, not caring that he probably looked like a fool. He could feel his feet now, but all that mattered was her. She looked up at him, so kissably close, and this time it wouldn't be a risk to close the distance and cover her lips with his own. He had wanted her so badly that night, and he hadn't been brave enough to do anything about it, but it had been bliss, having her there in his arms.
Then the chorus started and Nathan understood Duke's joke.
I have died every day waiting for you
Darling, don't be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more
Audrey laughed, shaking her head. "Not quite a thousand years. But close." Her hand smoothed down his shoulder. "We won't have a thousand years left either."
"That's okay. I'll settle for a hundred."
"Wow, a hundred. We're gonna live that long, huh?"
He shrugged. "Medicine's advancing." He leaned closer and watched her breath catch. "I won't accept a day less," he whispered before kissing her chastely, just a brush of lips.
"We haven't danced since your reunion," she observed, staying close.
"Doesn't Jack and Patsy count?"
"Nope. Greif clinging does not count."
"We can make up for lost time."
She hummed, but she didn't break eye contact and he knew she had something more to say.
"That night, after the reunion – I wanted you to come upstairs with me," she admitted.
"I know." He'd figured as much even before she'd asked him what he was doing. And he'd desperately wanted to oblige her. To spend one night showing her how he'd grown to love her. He'd had all sorts of fleeting romantic notions that if he just kept her in bed all day the Barn couldn't find her. He'd fight off her fate single handedly, and she'd be so smitten no force in this world could steal her memories away. But that had been foolish, and it was more important to keep her in Haven indefinitely than to spend one night as a real man.
"Do you ever wonder what would have been different if you had?"
"Wasn't Arla waiting for you in your apartment?"
"Yeah."
"Then we probably wouldn't have had sex," he said pragmatically.
She squeezed his shoulder and leaned in even closer. "I dunno. Two against one? I think we could have taken her."
"Psychotic daughter-in-laws are kinda a mood killer though."
"If you had admitted you wanted me it would have taken a lot more than Arla to keep me away. We could have locked her in the closet or something."
He chuckled at her gall even though he didn't quite believe it. "This turned out alright though, didn't it?" He ran his thumb over her rings, feeling the smoothness of the bands and the catch of the diamonds.
"Yeah." She rested her head against him again. "I just wish you hadn't had to suffer so much while I was gone."
"It's all right."
She pulled back, eyes flashing. "It's not!"
"You're right, it was awful living without you. But I'd do it all again in a heartbeat as long as this was the reward."
This time she reached up and kissed him, and it was a little less chaste. "We should get out of here soon," she suggested.
He watched her dance the next song with James, heads bowed together in some secret confidence, and they embraced as the number ended. Then he and Audrey began to say their goodbyes, and Duke insisted they share one more dance, and finally everyone was cheering them off as they made their way to the Bronco.
"We have to stop by the house," he told her as he turned into their lane. "I had our stuff all packed, but I didn't expect to get banished last night."
"I'm just gonna change into something more comfortable for the drive," she told him as they walked inside. "I'll be right back."
"Oh." He was too shocked to hide his disappointment, and she rounded on him with narrowed eyes.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Nathan," she insisted, and he knew not to argue with that tone.
He rubbed at the back of his neck, startled to actually feel the skin there. "Just figured I'd be the one helping you out of your dress," he admitted, doubly embarrassed by the way he felt the blood rushing to his face. "And if we do that now no way we'll make it to Derry tonight."
Her eyes widened, and he charged on. "But it's fine, really. I don't want you to be uncomfortable."
She cut him off with a kiss, and when she pulled back she pushed his hair across his forehead. "The dress stays."
"You really don't have to—" he protested.
But she shook her head, resolute. "The dress stays." Her hand drifted down his face, stroking at his cheek, and the tenderness in her eyes stole his breath. "You saved me from an eternity of futility and loneliness. More importantly, I love you. You deserve to have whatever you want tonight."
"And always," she added under her breath.
"Audrey—" he breathed, reverent, but he didn't know how to finish that sentence. He couldn't think of a single thing to say that could express how much he loved her.
She smirked, and the heaviness of the moment lifted. "But if you have a foot fetish you better take these shoes off me right now, because I'm not wearing them to Derry."
He laughed, glancing down at the strappy high heeled contraptions. "Nah. The shoes can go."
She undid the buckles with a blissful sigh and slipped into a pair of baby blue flip flops.
"Let's get out of here, Wuornos," she beckoned, and just as always he followed.
They were halfway to Derry when it started to rain.
It was just a few drops at first, but a few minutes later it was a full out downpour.
"I'm so glad it didn't do this a few hours ago," Audrey commented as she peered out the window. "I was so worried about whether the Troubles would end I forgot most brides just fret about the weather."
"Good thing I talked to Conrad."
She turned toward him, "What'd you do?"
"He's the one who recommended the minister, so he already knew we were getting hitched. Figured it couldn't hurt to ask him to make sure Marion was in a good mood today."
"Look at you, saving the day," she said fondly.
"I try," he countered cheekily.
It was still pouring when they reached the B&B. Nathan offered to drop her off at the door but she refused, so he parked in the closest open spot and tried to wait it out.
It only took Audrey about three minutes to get antsy. "Don't you have an umbrella in here?"
"No," he answered. "You do remember I couldn't feel the rain until today, right?"
She rolled her eyes. "You could still get wet."
"So?"
"You're such a man," she said with fond exasperation. "We're gonna have to make a run for it, I think. Unless you want to take this dress off me in this truck."
"That's a whole other fantasy," he deadpanned, but he did allow himself a few seconds to imagine just that. Then he pulled off his jacket and handed it to her.
"You'll feel the rain now," she cautioned.
He grinned at her. "Good. You can warm me up. But put that on so you don't ruin your dress."
She shrugged. "Not like I'll ever wear it again anyway." But she obliged him, slipping it over her narrow shoulders. It was far too large for her, the sleeves totally hiding her arms until she pushed the cuffs back, but something fierce and possessive and proud welled up in him as he watched her sweep her hair from underneath the collar. All her perfect beauty, wrapped up in something he'd worn. She was his wife now.
God, they needed to get inside.
"Looks better on you than it does on me," he said appreciatively, and then he burst out of his seat, crossing in front of the truck and pulling open her door before she had time to react. He scooped her in his arms, already keenly aware of the cool rain sliding down his neck. "Hold on," he advised, and then he pushed the car door shut and strode toward the inn.
They were both soaked by the time they reached the lobby, but she was giggling into his neck, her warm breath a lovely contrast to his chilled skin, and her joy was contagious.
"We're here for the honeymoon suite," he told the man behind the front desk, unable to contain his grin, and then a flash went off somewhere to his right. He turned just in time to see Dorothy snap another photo.
"Look at the two of you," she said mirthfully. "I've never seen such a happy couple. Even if you are dripping water all over my floor."
"Bit of weather out there," he said, but he couldn't keep a straight face.
She laughed. "You two don't want to spend your night talking to me. Here's the key, loves. Enjoy."
It was a little awkward that the old woman was giving them her blessing for their wedding night activities, but Nathan resolved not to think about that. He took the key and continued in the direction the proprietor had pointed.
"I can walk now, you know," Audrey said, her hands wandering down his neck and sending shivers through him that had nothing to do with the rain.
But he was determined to carry her over the threshold of their room, even if he could feel the strain in his arms. She wasn't heavy by any means, but he wasn't used to gravity's counteracting force.
"Like having you in my arms," he told her, and she had no response to his honesty.
She opened the door when they came to it, and he held his breath as they stepped inside.
The lights were off, but there were so many candles lit Nathan could hardly tell. There were bouquets of white roses everywhere, filling the room with their perfume. Per his request there was a bottle of champagne chilling next to a box of cupcakes.
"Nathan," she breathed, and he grinned and set her gently on her feet.
"Only the best for my bride," he whispered, reaching out to stroke her cheek.
She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, and he recognized that feeling of being overcome.
"So how does this dress fantasy of yours go?" she asked, her eyes still closed.
"Well," he considered, hardly believing this could possibly be real. Truth be told, he's imagined his wedding night with Audrey long before she'd started wearing his ring. Inappropriate as it had been to think of his partner this way, after her almost death at the chameleon's hands made him accept how deeply his feeling ran he'd had a couple dreams where she swore to be his and then reintroduced him to the world of sensation.
But in none of those dreams had it ever meant quite as much as it did now.
He took one last, long look at her in her wedding finery, the sequins in her dress sparkling in the candlelight. His jacket had absorbed most of the water, and he removed the damp fabric gently, tossing it toward the couch. Her hair was in tight tendrils now, as if she'd just come out of the shower, and he set to work on removing the pins. They had substance under his fingers now. He leaned close to smell the lily behind her ear before dropping it to the floor, and when all the pins seemed to be gone he combed his fingers through her curls and massaged her scalp to make sure he hadn't missed any.
She was uncharacteristically quiet at his ministrations, occasionally uttering a soft sigh of appreciation but no commentary. After he was certain her hair was free he brushed it all over one shoulder and then pressed a kiss to the top of her neck. By the time he worked his way to the edge of her first strap he realized that she was shaking.
"Are you nervous, Parker?"
He expected an immediate denial; maybe an excuse about the rain.
He didn't expect her to answer, "Maybe."
"Why?" he asked, too shocked to put it more delicately. "Not like we haven't done this before."
He'd been scared out of his mind that first time, afraid his broken body couldn't handle the experience or he wouldn't be able to satisfy her. But practice had quickly taught him he had nothing to fear in that department. Being with Audrey like this was as natural as breathing.
"It's different now. We're married, and you can feel again. I just want it to be perfect for you."
He grabbed her by the shoulder and spun her to face him, too overcome to do anything but kiss her, hoping that somehow that would convey how much her words meant to him. "This is already perfect," he whispered into the shell of her ear, dropping his lips until he found the spot on her neck that always made her sigh and arch into him. "Just stop thinking," he told her, echoing her command on their very first night together. They'd come so far since then; he'd never imagined they'd be granted such happiness.
"Make me," she challenged, another echo, but there was no desperation tonight, just playfulness with an undercurrent of need.
"You're just trying to get me to undress you faster," he teased.
"Can you blame me? At this rate we'll still be here on our anniversary."
He chuckled. "Now that would be some year."
"Not if we're still wearing all our clothes."
He sucked gently on her earlobe, and once she was pliant in his arms he whispered, "Bet I could think of a few things that would still be fun."
She rolled her eyes, unimpressed. "Show me later."
Realizing it was time to oblige her, he crossed behind her so he could begin unfastening her dress. The fact that he could feel the zipper without looking at it made it easier to focus on kissing every inch of skin he revealed, creating a blazing trail down her back. He could hear her breathing quicken, and that stirred an answering need within him. But he took his time, one hand curved around her waist to keep her steady while she trembled under his attention, occasionally uttering a soft sigh that made him want to spend the rest of his life making love to her.
Once the zipper was finally undone he nudged the straps down her shoulders, kissing from one to the other, and then he gently slid the dress down her body, his fingers catching on the sequins.
He'd barely gotten a look before she spun around to face him. The sight of her standing them stopped the breath in his lungs. Her bra and underwear were electric blue, perfectly matching the color of her eyes and complimenting her creamy skin. A matching garter encircled one of her thighs. "Wow."
He wanted to tell her she was the most gorgeous sight he'd even seen – and he'd spent years seeking out beauty to replace the sensation he'd lost.
What came out instead was, "Hope Duke didn't help you pick that out too."
She threw back her head and laughed, exposing her pale throat. The sound shot straight through him in the most delightful way, setting his body on edge the way her touch had the first night they'd spent together.
"Nope," she finally answered. "This is for my husband's eyes only."
Her words made him want to drop to his knees and thank some higher power for making him so lucky. "Say it again."
"Got all sexy for my husband," she obliged, but she ducked her head shyly, as if she didn't quite believe it.
He couldn't let that stand. Still too overcome to manage a coherent argument he pulled her toward him, cradling her face and kissing her with everything inside him.
"You're so damn beautiful," he managed as soon as he had the breath to speak, keeping her pressed against him so she could feel his need.
"And you're wearing too many clothes."
"Maybe my wife can help with that," he suggested coyly.
She didn't have his patience, but she still drew out the process, sliding the damp fabric across his skin so he would feel its removal. Suddenly he understood her impatience. She toyed with the buttons on his shirt and trousers, her fingers running deliberately across him through his clothing and as good as it felt he yearned to speed things up. But he forced himself to stand as still as he could manage, though he did not muzzle the moans she drew from him. Now that she was in control again she wore a wicked smile, all tentativeness gone, and she knew damn well how much that turned him on.
Finally he was completely bare before her, while she was still wearing that sinful blue number. His hands found her hips, his fingers stroking gently as they marveled at the contrast between skin and silk.
He'd never felt so aroused, his body, mind and soul finally synchronized with his all-encompassing need for her. Yet something held him back, made him savor the anticipation that was almost painful.
Then she was pushing on his chest and he was moving backwards. He startled when he actually felt the back of his legs hit the edge of the bed and he toppled onto the mattress. He moaned in surprise as he sunk into the cool sheets, so different against his skin than her hot little fingers.
"Sorry," he mumbled once the shock passed and he realized she was watching him.
"You never have to apologize for feeling anything," she said softly, and his heart swelled in his chest. He loved her so much that sometimes he could barely breathe. She nudged at his legs until he swung them onto the bed, and then she climbed in after him, bracing herself above him, her hands on his shoulders.
He was so captivated by the look on her face, so full of love and uncharacteristic vulnerability, that he didn't notice her grab the sheet until she flicked the corner of it across his stomach.
He twitched at the sensation and she laughed, the ends of her hair tickling his chest. "We're going to have fun tonight, Mr. Wuornos," she purred, all her earlier nervousness evaporated. She was his siren once again, sexy and sure. "You see, I've got this fantasy too, where you can feel again." One of her hands traveled down his side, lingering at his hip. "And it's up to me to make sure you make the most of it."
Even as the thrill of that ran through him he recognized that she had given him the perfect opening, and he couldn't resist, at least this once. "Best get started then, Mrs. Wuornos," he said, and then he pulled her down on top of him before she could argue.
Shameless fluff, but I'm not even sorry. I know some of you were expected there to be another obstacles or two, but we're winding to a close here. Please let me know what you think. I hope this was worth the wait!