Rated M Chapter. Bottom line is Percy and Annabeth decide to get back together and renew their vows.
…
Percy
I check my watch as I head to my truck. 8:30 am. That fire took over half the night to put out. And while I'm never going to tell Annabeth, I almost didn't make it out. I got stupid. Reckless. Someone was trapped on the 12th floor, and I rushed in relying too much on my water powers and resistance to burning. But it was so dry I couldn't pull any water out of the air, and I got the victims out, but the fire burned so hot it messed up my suit and my resistance to burning almost wasn't enough. I have a nasty second degree burn on my left forearm that is baffling everyone on my squad. If it was hot enough to burn my suit, how did it only have a second degree burn? They'll be even more confused when I show up for my next shift and it'll be gone except for maybe a scar since I'm just going to wrap it in nectar. I text Annabeth before I drive home.
Drop Luke at Sunday School with Malcolm and Maryanne and come home.
I'm a demigod, yeah, but I don't have the mark of Achilles anymore. I'm not invincible. Life is still fragile and can end in a second. I'm so glad I kissed her before I left yesterday. That was the first kiss we've had that was real since she came back. Where we were both awake, and both wanted it. She's not going anywhere, and I'm not doing any favors to myself or her or Luke by sitting on the fence any longer.
…
Annabeth
I park at the church and unlock the door for Luke to get out when I feel my phone buzz in my back pocket.
Drop Luke at Sunday School with Malcolm and Maryanne and come home.
It's the first thing he's sent since last night around 1 am texting me the fire was finally out. And I guess this means he's not coming to church either, which is the first time he's missed it that he wasn't on shift since I moved back to New York. But if he's telling me to go home he's probably got a good reason. I smile thinking about the kiss he gave me last night before he left for the fire.
Once Luke is in his Sunday School class with the teacher knowing Maryanne is picking him up, I head back to the car.
Malcolm wasn't hard to convert to Christianity. He was always a skeptic, but like me he thinks about everything logically. When I showed him my research after I converted he did his own soul searching and came to the same conclusion I did. The day after he was baptized he proposed to Maryanne. They'd been in love for years, but Maryanne was always a strong Christian and wouldn't marry someone who didn't share her faith.
When I pull into my parking space I see Percy just walking in his door. I get out and run up to knock, him opening it a second later and not even pausing to tell me good morning before pulling me into his arms and holding me so tight I can hardly breathe. The breaths I do take smell so strongly of smoke I have to fight to not cough, because I know if I start having a coughing fit He'll let go of me. I hold him tight and run my hand through his hair.
"Hey. Hey it's okay, talk to me." I whisper to him.
"I love you." Is all he says back, still burying his face in my hair and neck.
"I love you too." I say and he lets go, but it seems like he has to force himself to. Holding my hand he leads me down the hall. When I see we're heading to his bedroom my heart rate triples in speed. All he does is kick his shoes off and lay on the bed, pulling me with him. He holds me tight and close, but doesn't say a word.
"Percy. How bad was that fire?" I finally find my voice to ask.
"It was bad, Annabeth. Don't ask me more." Is all he says.
"Why did you ask me to come here?" He lets go and props himself up on his elbow to look down at me.
"Gods you're beautiful, Wise Girl." He says, then leans down to kiss my forehead, my nose, my cheek, pauses at my neck for a second until I'm gasping and lace my fingers behind his neck so I have something to hold, and then he finally moves his mouth to mine. It's only the third time he's kissed me since I came back. The first, when I apologized at the station. But he shut that down so quickly I'm not even sure it counts. The second last night before he left to fight that fire. That one was real, and good. Now there's this one. It feels perfect, how it used to be before everything happened with Lassa's quest, but even better because of the pent up longing that's here too. My body is on fire as I move my hands down and slide them under the hem of his shirt, making him groan and kiss me harder. When he finally pulls back, I'm gasping.
"Annabeth." He says so firmly I have to look him in the eye. "I'm ready if you are." He says in a low voice that makes an eruption of butterflies in my stomach. So much of me wants to just take him at his word for that and finally have sex with my husband again, but the rest of me knows I need to know more. I catch my breath and sit up.
"Percy. I want this. Badly. But what do you mean when you say you're ready?" His gaze softens and he smiles at me.
"I'm ready for you to come home." He answers gently.
I wish I could say there was this graceful romantic moment when he said that. Instead, The fear and stress I've been carrying for the last several weeks gets released with me breaking down and lays down and I just curl as close to him as I can, weeping with joy and relief.
"I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry. I'm an absolute mess, Percy, I-" I stop talking and wipe my eyes when he starts laughing. "I'm sorry, is this funny?"
"Yes! Stop apologizing, Wise Girl. You don't need to anymore. I love you. I want you. I'm ready for you to be home. With me, and with Luke."
"Gods of Olympus I love you." I say and finally get my crying under control.
"I smell like Smoke. I think we should take a shower first." He says and starts trailing his fingers under my dress and up my leg, making me shiver.
"Sounds good." I agree and we head to the bathroom, kissing while we strip. I start to fall over when I take off my underwear and Percy gasps as I grab his arm for balance.
"What?"
"Nothing." He says, tightly and quickly, but I can see his eyes welled up with pain.
"Percy what happened in that fire?"
"Nothing,"
"Let me see." I demand. He lets out a resigned breath and pulls his hoodie off, revealing hairless arms and his left one wrapped in a bandage. I carefully unwrap it and gasp when I see how bad the burn is. "I thought- The volcano- you're not supposed to-"
"Be able to burn?" He finishes. I nod. "There's limits to that, Wise Girl. This fire was hot enough to burn through my suit."
"Percy-"
"I'm fine. I wasn't going to tell you because I didn't want you to worry, but I should have realized taking a shower would mean you'd see it." He smiles softly. "I got a little too wrapped up in the idea of showering with you to think about it. Anyone else would have been hurt so much worse or killed. It had to be me. But I'm okay. I'm here. Focus on that."
"Okay." I croak.
"Can you focus on a shower with me?" He teases, "I'm really okay, Wise Girl. And I'll be a lot better when the rest of your clothes are off. Please?" He says quietly in a voice I'm sure he remembers sets me on fire. Taking a step closer, he puts his hands on my hips and backs me against the wall.
"Okay." I croak out and let him kiss me, my heart speeding up as we help each other out of our clothes and fumble to turn the water on hot in the shower. It glides over our bodies, healing his arm and seeming to wash away the smoke from last night and the guilt and regret of the last three years. My body fits with his even better now than it did then. My mouth and hands still know just where to go, and so do his. By the time the shower water gets cold and we fumble to dry off and get into the bedroom, I've already come twice from handjobs. He already has at least two hickeys on his neck he'll have a tough time hiding. And I have three on my stomach and the inside of my thighs.
After hastily drying off we stumble back into the bedroom and I lay on my back to let Percy get on top of me.
"Stay here. I want you in charge. You in control the whole time." I plead. He gets a slightly cocky grin and kisses my forehead. "It's been three years." I say and run my fingers through his hair.
"For me, too."
"Think it'll be the same?"
"If that shower was any indication, it's going to be better." He says and pushes into me, making me gasp and sigh with pleasure. He's right. It's better.
Letting Percy be in charge completely, I lose count of how many times I climax before he finally lets go. When he finishes he falls next to me and uses the towel we tossed down to wipe the sweat off his face.
"Oh Wise Girl." He sighs. Not caring how sweaty he is, I curl into him, just enjoying being here.
"You need another shower." I giggle.
"Yeah. But I need to be able to stand in the shower first. Just give me a minute."
"I'll go get you some water." I say and am about to get up, but he wraps his arm over my back.
"Don't you dare move."
"Okay. I'll stay." I say and lay there with him until he finally gets up, telling me to still stay down. He comes back and kisses me gently, giving me a glass of water.
"I could have gotten that for you." I tell him and drink it gratefully.
"I wanted to do it for you." He smiles. "Now c'mon. You need a shower too."
…
Percy
I wake up to realize my arm is still asleep with Annabeth laying on it, but there's no way in hell I'm moving. I roll so I'm pressed against her back and she lets out a cute little 'hmmmmmm' in her sleep while I just breathe in the scent of her hair, dreading having to get up for my shift in a couple hours. We let Luke stay Sunday and Monday with Maryanne, taking the two days to ourselves. Malcolm was all too happy to accept. I can't wait to see his reaction when he finds out Annabeth's moving in with us. Checking my watch it says 4:32. Two hours before I need to be awake. But I can't see myself going back to sleep now. Carefully, I slip my arm out from under Annabeth's neck and go to the bathroom to shower and start getting ready. My arm is already healed thanks to the nectar wraps, but as I expected, has a nasty scar. When I do my quiet time, I read Song of Songs, picturing Annabeth in the imagery. And when I pray I just thank God for bringing her back into my life.
I think of all our friends, and how they've stuck by me the last three years but never gave up hope Annabeth and I would end up together again. I think about Kaleb, who I've only known since she left and is one of the only mortals I've really let myself get close to, and how he always encouraged me to fix my marriage whenever I brought her up. I think about my mother, who loves me more than life, and was able to forgive Annabeth so readily because she knows how much I love her. But most of all, I think of my son, who's finally going to have a mother who loves him that he can count on. And I praise the Lord for it.
After an hour or so, I hear the bedroom door creak and Annabeth comes into the living room with me, wearing nothing but my NYFD shirt. I smile at her bare legs, and how she moves with a confident shyness. I take a deep breath into her hair when she sits next to me in her Kate spot, letting the smell fill me up.
"I love you so much." I say.
"I love you too." She replies, tilting her head back to kiss my neck, making shivers run through me.
"Careful, Wise Girl. I need to leave soon."
"Really?" She says with mock innocence as she puts her hand on my forehead. "Percy, I don't think that's a good idea. You're so hot right now, must be a fever." I laugh.
"Know what? My arm's hurting pretty bad. I guess I could be a little late." I say and start tickling her, making her shriek with laughter. "But not very. So we'll have to be quick."
"Uh oh. Quick's not your specialty." She teases me, getting up and pulling me into the bedroom. I push her on her back and get on top of her.
"That's because" I whisper and kiss behind her ear. "I make it last" I move my mouth down her jaw. "So I can see you come as many times as possible." I put my mouth on hers, deepening the kiss as much as I can. When I pull back, She whimpers a little, and I smile and lightly drag my hand from her navel up her torso, pulling her shirt up as I do. She shivers as I pull it over her head. "For now, I'll settle for two organisms."
"Oh no, I have to settle for climaxing twice?" She says sarcastically. "How will I ever make due with what most girls beg and dream for." She laughs and pulls me down to kiss me. I groan with pleasure when she pulls my shirt off and I feel my skin against hers.
Once we finish and shower, I check my watch and see I still have time to make her breakfast. She hardly stops touching me the whole time, either her hands wrapped around my waist, or holding onto my arm. She finally lets go when I put a plate of pancakes in front of her, but only because she needs both hands to eat.
"So, while the last two days have been fantastic, we haven't really talked about logistics."
"What kind of logistics?" I ask.
"Where are we going to live? And how do we explain this to Luke, who while very mature, is still not even three." She explains. I smile at her.
"Well, I guess I need to marry you." She rolls her eyes.
"I'm serious, Percy."
"So am I. We've been through a lot, Annabeth. I think we should renew our vows. Nothing super fancy, just a small ceremony with friends and family. In a church this time. And I think it'll be good for Luke, so he'll understand a little better what marriage means." She smiles at me.
"Okay. When do you want to do this?"
"How about tomorrow morning, when I get off shift?" I offer. She smiles and leans forward to kiss me, her lips tasting like syrup.
"Sounds perfect. Can we do it at Lassa's church in Georgia, though? I want to use my dress again, and it fits the beach so well."
"Of course. I'll let you get it all together, and I'll meet you there tomorrow. You can take Luke down today."
"Sounds good. I love you, Seaweed Brain."
"You too, Wise Girl. Sorry, but I do need to go. I'm going to be late as it is." I tell her gently. She pouts and puts her hands under my shirt.
"You're mean." I play whine with a sigh. She smirks.
"Is that really how you'd describe me?"
"No, but you're making it harder to leave."
"That's just because I want to make sure you still want to come home to me." She whispers and kisses me again. When I pull back I shake my head, laughing.
"You're trouble." I tell her and kiss her forehead. "See you tomorrow, Wise Girl."
….
I park my truck and walk into the firehouse grinning like an idiot. Everyone else has started working by now. Kaleb sees me first while he's on top of the firetruck.
"Percy! What are you doing here?"
"Nice to see you too, man. Sorry I'm late, Captain." I say and nod at Captain Hendricks.
"No, I'm with Franklins. Why are you here? You messed your arm up pretty bad in that last fire, I figured you'd need some more rest." I shrug.
"I'm a fast healer. I feel fine."
"Jackson, are you serious? That was a third degree burn! I'm surprised you aren't in the hospital still!"
"It wasn't third. It was second. And I'm fine. Better than fine." I smile bigger. "Annabeth and I are renewing our vows tomorrow." I say and my friends clap and whistle.
"It's about time!" Kaleb says. "Does that mean she's going to be bringing more food by? That Ziti was even better than Maryanne's!"
"Always food with you. Anyways Captain, I'm honestly okay. Can I please work this shift?"
"Let Ricks check the arm out. If it's actually healed, sure."
"Yes Sir." I say and head over to Ricks, who's cleaning out the back of the ambulance. By the smell I'd say someone puked in it last trip.
"Ricks!"
"Jackson? Why aren't you in the hospital?" He says when he sees me.
"Because Y'all are remembering the burn as worse than it was. Can you look at my arm? Captain won't clear me to work unless you say it's okay."
"Sure, but there's no way that burn is okay by now." He says and unwraps my arm. "I…Stand corrected. How- I don't- What are you, Wolverine?"
"Something like that." I smirk at him. "I just heal fast, and It wasn't as bad as everyone said it was in the first place."
"Okay." He shrugs and raises his voice "He's clear, Cap!"
"Thanks." I nod and head over to the top of the firetruck to help Kaleb. "So. You're coming tomorrow, right?"
"Sure thing. I'm really happy for you, man." He says and lightly punches my shoulder.
"Will you still come if I tell you it's at Tybee Island?"
"If you pay the airfare."
"How about if I just provide transportation?"
"Okay. What kind of transportation?" He asks. I hesitate, not knowing how Blackjack will appear to him through the mist.
"You'll see tomorrow."