"This is our home...now and forever".
As the words left her lips, Taylor's head was flooded with the magitude of her decision. She looked around her friends, at the faces of those she had come to love so dearly since they'd arrived at La Huerta. Relief, sorrow, euphoria, grief; she could see it all reflected back at her in their eyes. Not all of them had wanted to stay, she knew. And even those who did... she'd seen their embers. Their futures. She knew what her choice had taken from them. Her choice had been impossible, she knew that. She understood she wouldn't, couldn't, do right by all of them. Awash with emotion, she sought out the face of the one she loved the most.
"Jake..."
"Princess, you ok?" he asked, his eyes filled with concern.
"I...I really need it to just be the two of us right now. Can we go to our room?".
Wrapping a supportive arm around her waist, Jake guided her back into the Celestial, down the corridors into the honeymoon suite Taylor had claimed when they first arrived. Locking the door behind them, he turned to her with a smile.
"Princess, its over".
"Yeah...it is". Unable to hold back any longer, Taylor's tears of anguish burst out.
Jake rushed over to her and held her tightly as she sobbed into his chest, gently stroking her hair in silence, allowing her to let out her grief.
"Jake," Taylor said shakily as her sobs subsided. "You know how much i love you, don't you?"
"Almost as much as I love you, Princess" he replied, wiping a tear from her cheek and lowering her to sit on the bed with him.
"I love you so much Jake. So fucking much". She took a deep breath. "I made a selfish choice tonight. I knew whatever I did it wouldn't be right for everyone, but I couldn't leave you, I just couldn't. But it was more than that, I couldn't be without you. You could have moved on from me and been happy again eventually. I don't know exactly what would have happened to me if i went to Vaanu, but I knew I wouldn't be with you and that was enough for me. I couldn't do it".
Seeing him about to speak, she gently placed her finger to his lips.
"But by doing this, I haven't just taken something from all our friends, I've taken something from you. And for that I am so sorry Jake". She held her head in her hands as her tears came afresh.
Jake exhaled slowly. "Mike".
"You could have had him back. I know how much he meant to you". Afraid to meet his eyes, she turned away as she tried to breathe through her tears. "I've taken him from you. And I'm scared one day you'll hate me for it".
Jake gently cupped her face, guided her towards him.
"Taylor, look at me. I could never hate you. When Mike d...when Mike d..." he paused, swallowing back his own grief. "When Mike did what he did, he did it so we could all go on. So that we could go on. What was it Blue's Clues mom said? Some choices must last".
Taylor blinked away her tears and looked deeply into the eyes of the man she loved, taking his hand in hers. Before she could say anything, he continued.
"Im grieving my losses, I won't say I'm not. Mike, Rebecca. I'll never forget them, but I know I'll be OK because I have you. If I didn't have my Princess, I'd be nothing. I have never, ever been as scared in my life as I was up on that roof when i thought I might lose you forever".
He brought her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles, never taking his eyes from hers.
" I know you don't really believe I could ever move on from you. We only get one soulmate, Princess. What would I do without mine? I...I really don't think I could have gone on. I mean that, Taylor". He leaned in, lovingly pressing his lips to hers. Slowly pulling back, he looked into her eyes once more. "I told you up there, you belong in my heart, not Vaanu's. You're my princess. My wife. You're Taylor McKenzie".
"Jake...are you sure? Do you really mean that?"
"I really do, Princess. I can't imagine how tonight has been for you, how hard it was to choose. I know how much you care about everyone. You made the right choice, I promise. And I promise to spend every day of the rest of our lives proving that to you. That house on the island I told you about on our honeymoon? We're going to have that. We're going to get started on it as soon as we can. I can't wait for the rest of our life together to start. I'll love you forever Taylor, I really will. And I'll do everything I possibly can to make you happy".
As a small smile finally started to crack through her distraught face, Jake pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek.
"I feel like you're making your handfasting vows again" she laughed weakly.
"Maybe i am" he grinned.
"Well in that case..." Taylor turned her whole body to face Jake, taking both his hands and looking into his eyes. "I love you Jake. And I promise to spend the rest of our lives proving that I made the right choice. Every day you wake up with me in our beautiful island house, you'll know how special you are to me. My soulmate, my best friend, my incredible lover. There isn't anything I won't do to see you smile. And you can talk about Mike and Rebecca whenever you want, as much as you need to".
"Thank you Princess" Jake whispered in her ear as he pulled her into a loving embrace. He held her there in a comfortable silence. "Do you feel better now?" he whispered after a while.
Taylor cuddled into him. "I do. This is going to take a long time to process, but I know I can do it with you. You always know how to help me, my Aragon".
"You'll always have me," he said. "What do you need right now?"
"Just to be close to you".
Jake looked behind them at their king-sized honeymoon bed. "How close?" he smiled suggestively. "I'm sure I heard something earlier about being an incredible lover".
"You did huh?" Taylor grinned back, pushing him down onto the mattress and straddling him, pulling her t shirt over her head as Jake pulled off his own clothes. As she bent forward to kiss him, he held her waist and flipped them over so he lay on top of her, gazing down tenderly into her eyes, pure adoration passing between them, no need to be spoken aloud.
As the rest of their clothes were removed and they melted together, Taylor gripped Jake's back and pulled him closer, deeper, needing to become one with the man she so loved. She and Jake had had a lot of sex, and it was always passionate, intense, urgent, wild. Though no less passionate or intense, this time it felt different. It occurred to her that this may be the first time they had made love. He always knew just what she needed. As the heat of their mutual climax took over, and they collapsed together blissfully, they remained entangled in each other's arms, neither wanting to let the other go.
"Soulmates" Jake whispered.
"Soulmates" Taylor agreed, pressing a kiss to his chest. Yes, some choices must last. Her choice must last. Thankfully, she had made the right one.