Brisbane
As Dez sat in the chair getting her hair and makeup done, her heart was so full. She was about to become a bride to the most amazing human being she knew, and she couldn't wait to start their lives together. In only a few hours, she'd be reciting her vows and saying "I do" and she just wished she could hurry it up! She couldn't wait to go back to their new home as husband and wife and she was even more excited for their honeymoon! Thanks to the help of him and his friends, she'd gotten over her fear of flying and was excited to see what she'd been missing her whole life.
After their appearance on 'Good Morning Melbourne', they went their separate ways, as Lucio had a few loose ends to tie up back home in Brazil, and Dez had to go back to Western Australia to finish moving the last bit of her stuff into the new house. They agreed not to meet up until their wedding, which was understandable, but she missed him dearly!
"[Why are you pouting?]" Hammond chittered, hopping up onto the desk she was stationed in front of.
"Am I? Hadn't even noticed," Dez looked at herself in the mirror as the stylist curled her long black and blue locks.
"[Don't tell me you're missing him. You'll see him in a couple of hours!]" Ham was greatly amused at how girly she'd become over the past two years. And to think, it was all because he'd gotten her those tickets.
"You try getting engaged and being apart from your fiancé!" Dez poked him in his furry belly. "Aren't ya happy for your friend?"
"[Don't forget, you owe me one,]" he squeaked, sitting on the edge of the table. "[If it weren't for those tickets I got you two years ago, this wouldn't be happening.]"
"Yeah, yeah," she blushed, turning her head to the side as the stylist brushed her hair to the side and over her shoulder. "You wanna be a bridesmaid or somethin'?" She laughed.
"[Ha, ha. Very funny,]" Hammond was attending as one of Lucio's groomsmen. As much as he loved Dez, he wouldn't be caught dead as a bridesmaid! "[Did you bring your weapons?]"
"Only because you made me," Dez watched the hairdresser slide an off-white, flowery pin in her hair, keeping it to the side. "I don't know why ya think somethin's gonna happen. Everyone knows who I am. No one's gonna try anything. Quit yer worryin'!"
"[It seems the wedding has you losing your sense of realism,]" Ham didn't want to burst her bubble, but she needed to be kept aware. "[You humans are crazy, and vampires are even crazier. Who's to say those vamps we were after last week won't come back to mess with you?]"
"Please," Dez snorted. "I had the fat one in the palm of my hand! He ain't steppin' foot near the weddin'!"
"[Let's hope you are right.]" He opted not to bring his mech, only because it was big and bulky, and there would be no place to put it without it standing out and ruining any photos taken. Dez had ways of concealing her weapons anyway, so if someone did stupidly attempt to crash the wedding, she could put them in their place. "[I am going to go check on your man,]" Ham said, hopping down from the vanity and skittering out of the room.
"Ooo! Tell 'em I said ' hey, babyface'!" She called as he left.
"[Negative.]"
"It's not like he'll understand ya, anyway!" Dez laughed as he left her large dressing tent stationed on the beach.
Unbeknownst to her, Ham had been crafting a separate device that would translate his speech without being in his mech, and he'd just gotten the final touches completed the night before. Lucio was going to be the first person he tested it on! He padded through the sand, heading to Lucio's tent and wondering why they didn't just rent a small venue. They had large white dressing tents and such anchored into the sand near the lookout, and he hated it all! It was hot, he didn't have his mech filled with comfortable air conditioning, and he was getting sand in his fur! Reminding himself to just do this for Dez and her special day, he slipped into the next tent and walked up to Lucio, who was straightening his tie in the mirror.
"What's up, little man!" Lucio cheesed at Hammond through the mirror as he adjusted his suit. It was the happiest day of his life, and nothing else mattered except for the stunning woman he was about to marry. He hadn't seen her since they were on the talk show, and he was looking forward to seeing her again, especially in the dress she kept raving about! "No mech, huh? Won't be able to understand ya."
"On the contrary," Hammond held a small device up to his mouth, pleased that it was working without a hitch. "I've been working on this contraption that lets me communicate without my mech."
"Oh, snap! You always were the more evolved one when it comes to tech like that," when Lucio learned he'd maintained his wrecking ball as well as Dez's weapons, he had him modify his sonic amplifier, a gun that used sound waves to knock back his enemies. He didn't use it often, but whenever there was an invasion, it came in handy.
"I'm glad to see it working," Ham said, standing next to him in the mirror. "You clean up well."
"Thanks. I want to look my best for her, y'know?" Lucio couldn't believe it. He'd landed the woman of his dreams and was about to make her his. Nothing could bring him down.
"She says 'hi', by the way," Ham said, omitting the horrendous nickname she'd given him.
Lucio knew there was probably a cute variation of his pet name at the end of that, and it only made his smile wider. Such a tough cookie that crumbled instantly whenever he was around. "Tell her I'll see her in a bit," he said with a grin. "And that I love her to death."
"Well, I came by to see how you were doing. Most people would be a nervous wreck, but you two are quite the opposite," Ham said, heading out. He wanted to scope out the area before the ceremony just to make sure there weren't any crazies nearby.
"What, expect us to be a mess?" Lucio asked, humming along to the soft music coming from his portable speaker. "I was wondering how she was handling things, but to hear that she's doing well gives me all the confidence I need!" He peered at the hamster through the mirror, remembering how Dez said something about him being paranoid of wedding crashers. He'd been around him long enough to know when he was off to check things out. "Gonna go look around?"
"You and Dez seem to be up in the clouds today," Hammond said as he exited the tent.
"Can't argue with that," Lucio hummed to himself, making sure his thick locks were neat and organized as they hung around his face, just how she liked it.
And while Hammond checked out the area just outside of the roped-off section, Dez was standing in her mirror in the most gorgeous dress she'd ever had the pleasure of wearing. Not used to seeing it done like this, her black and deep blue hair was curled prettily and draped along one of her shoulders, complimenting the entire look very well. Her mostly lace dress was strapless with a bustier neckline and an exposed corset back, flaring out lightly at her waist. With her own added flair, it was adorned with gold trim and shiny rhinestones, with a moderately long train behind her.
Instead of her usual heavy and dark makeup, she went with a more natural look. Matte nude lipstick, light blush, and cat-eye eyeliner to make her reddish-gold eyes pop. She swore she'd never seen this side of her before; she barely recognized herself! But it wasn't in a bad way by any means. She was dressed up for the event of a lifetime, the best day of her life. She wasn't nervous, she wasn't scared of the future, she was only excited and impatient to take his name and begin their lives as husband and wife.
What kind of life would they live together? She knew he had tours and events planned, but would he want her to be a part of them? She would be open to traveling with him from time to time, but she couldn't leave her people for too long! Nevertheless, she was incredibly grateful and lucky to be able to call the great Lucio hers.
She lifted the bottom of her dress and looked at the holsters attached to her thighs with a snort. Ham was always super cautious and careful and wanted her to be extra safe, and she wasn't too sure why he was so worried! But to appease him—also to try out the new holsters he made for her—she kept her small blade and her shotgun on her, easily hidden away by the loose and generous fabric of her dress. It was a tad uncomfortable but manageable, and she had to say, there was something sexy about seeing those weapons on her legs. Would her honey feel the same?
"Wonderful arvo for a wedding, wouldn't you say, mate?" Jamie and Mako sat under the trees just above Deadman's Beach, watching people set up and rope things off in the distance for the wedding that was happening in just a few hours. "But a beach wedding? Why would they wanna share a pash in front of a bunch of bogans in budgie smugglers?"
Mako just grunted, brewing a plan silently. He was irritated, and he wanted to take his frustrations out on the mongrel of a hunter that injured him not too long ago. Unfortunately for her, the diesel he inhaled on a regular basis helped him recover at an unnatural pace and made him near impossible to kill, and his canister was fully stocked and ready to go along with a spare jug he had filled just in case things went south.
"I say you just let me plant one of my bombs and send 'em both off the cliff!" Jamie said with a crazed giggle, kicking his feet as he lie in the shade.
"I'm working alone," Mako rumbled through the hiss of his mask. The last thing he needed was the rat's loud mouth giving him away.
Jamie hopped up in surprise. "Well, that's not bloody nice, mate! You know I can be useful, too!"
"Don't go crook on me," Mako breathed. "You're too loud. Don't want you messing things up."
"I'd like to see you knock a couple'a blokes into the sea with that rusty hook of yours!"
"Shut it." Mako stewed. Giving it some thought, it wasn't too bad of an idea. That would show her a lesson, sending them both to their watery graves. But bringing the rat along didn't sound like it would go well at all! He was loud and noisy, and this was a job that needed to go well. The very moment she got a whiff of them and they weren't prepared, it probably wouldn't be pleasant.
However…
With more observation, he realized that the drongo that was partnered up with her that day didn't have his wrecking ball with him, and he began to wonder if she had any of her weapons on her. He grunted, exhaling loudly through his mask. He needed to refill soon, and since they moved, their meetings with the doctor were slashed by half. Even though she was scheduled to visit in a week, he needed to act with caution when it came to dealing with this hunter. If she managed to inflict the same amount of damage on him as last time, he'd be in a whole heap of trouble.
"You think she has anything on her?" Mako asked, observing the setup in the distance. It worked in their favor that the event was small; closed off to only close friends and family members. That way, once the time came to crash the event, there wouldn't be much that could stop them.
"You talkin' about that bloody axe of hers?" Jamie asked as Mako let out a grunt in response. "I don't see why she'd bring it to her wedding! Unless she's smarter than we think!"
Then, it clicked in his head how to get back at her. It would be nice to see her suffer some emotional pain. "Change of plans," he hissed through his mask. "One bomb, in and out."
"One bomb?!" Jamie screeched incredulously. "Whaddya think I'm supposed to do with just one bomb?!"
"Too loud," Mako complained with a grumble. "Save your energy."
"Then ya better have some sort of plan, or that one's gonna be a problem for us both!"
"A plan…" Mako huffed. He sure did have a plan! As long as the rat followed his directions precisely, they'd emerge victorious. Now, all they had to do was work on positioning. "Make it two."
"Now that's more like it!"
Because of her not-so-pleasant childhood, Dez had no one in her family to attend the wedding or any male figures to walk her down the aisle. She'd lost her father and both her brothers at a young age, and her mom and sister were nowhere to be found. With the horrible memories that were attached to whatever remaining ones she had of them, she found it too hard to try to locate them. It was something she touched briefly on in a deep conversation with her fiancé, and being the sweetie that he was, he offered any mental and physical support that she needed. Maybe one day, but today?
It was her day.
She'd already gone the majority of her life without them, and as much as the little girl in her wanted the entire lavish, traditional wedding with all of her family members in attendance, the tougher, more grown-up side of her was stoked to walk down the aisle alone. She loved showcasing her strength and independence! This was her time to shine! And everyone there—well, the few people there—would get to see her shine in the spotlight! As she aged, she realized she was the furthest thing from traditional, so why start now?
"[Are you ready?]" Hammond asked, looking fondly at his best friend in her wedding dress.
"I'm more ready than I'll ever be!" Dez declared confidently.
"[You look beautiful,] he squeaked.
"Aw, quit it with the sappy stuff!"
"[That will be the only compliment I give you for a while. Take it or leave it.]"
"Fine!" Dez gave herself one final once over in the mirror. Never in a million years would she think that she'd be able to see herself like this. Never in a million years did she think she'd be this content, but here she was, living a great life, protecting her people, marrying the man of her dreams as if she deserved positivity of this magnitude. With all the bad karma she'd received her entire life, she assumed it was the norm, taking it all with a grain of salt. But on that fateful day two years ago, she was proven wrong and showered with nothing but happiness. "Thanks," she said with a wide grin.
"[Then let's get out there. He's waiting for you,]" Ham said, scooting out of the tent and trekking to his seat.
"Yeah," she whispered to herself. "Let's get out there." She gave herself an internal pep talk as she lifted her dress and left the tent, her nerves smacking into her like a ton of bricks. She was about to stand in front of everyone and profess her love for her man! Of course, she'd done it before, but not in the deeply intimate way it was about to happen! Who knew how those people were going to look at her! She suddenly became shy. Goodness, this wasn't going to diminish her toughness, was it?
She let out a soft chuckle. The only thing that mattered was Lucio, and how he saw her. So what if others thought of her as sensitive? He knew her and everything there was to know about her. Nothing and nobody else was relevant.
Her thoughts surprisingly kept her distracted long enough for her to get to her destination, seeing the few guests they'd invited and the small trickle of civilians that'd gathered around the perimeter of the area that was roped off. This was it!
Lucio shed a tear the moment he laid his eyes on his bride. The dress was everything she raved it would be, but more than that… she was the true prize. So beautiful, so perfect. Words couldn't describe how he felt about her, but the vows he wrote for her would do their best to depict it! He kept his eyes on her the entire time as she approached. He held his hand to his mouth, holding back his waterworks as she walked slowly toward him looking happier and more radiant than ever.
If Dez thought she was shy before, the way he was looking at her definitely made it worse! He looked at her with so much love and awe, she found it hard to believe he saw all of this in her! And the expectant and tearful way he silently beckoned her over made it impossible to see the rest of the onlookers. She only saw him.
She walked down the short velvet carpet, admiring the weather and how everything was coming together perfectly. Not much in her life worked out well like this, so she wanted to cherish it. The crystal blue sky, the pristine waters, her beau in his sexy black tux with his thick, brown locks hanging neatly around his face, it all made her want to squeal with girlish glee!
"Dessa," Lucio said softly, extending a hand as she approached the altar. It was then that he even more so understood why she didn't want this filmed live. This was the most intimate he'd ever had her, and he didn't want anyone else to see this soft and sensitive side of her! He almost didn't even want the regular cameras there! "Words can't even describe how beautiful you look."
"Aww," she grinned, turning her head bashfully and taking his hand, as she stepped on the small platform in front of the one she chose to spend the rest of her life with. "Stop it…" she whispered shyly.
"I can't help it," he kissed her knuckles. "You're stunning." He watched the sunlight catch her eyes in a beautiful, rosy golden, falling deeper and deeper in love with her as the seconds ticked by. This was the best decision he'd made in his entire life.
"We are gathered here today," the minister began the ceremony, looking between the two lovebirds standing before him. They were probably one of the most untraditional couples he'd ever seen! However, the love they shared was grand, and by far the biggest he'd ever had the honor of marrying. This would be a wonderful ceremony. "To join our very own, true-blue Odessa "Dez" Stone, and nationwide pop star, Lucio Correia dos Santos in marriage. If for any reason someone believes these two should not be joined in union on this beautiful day, speak now or forever hold your peace."
And when no one objected, the minister continued his words of love and wisdom, pouring his blessings down upon them as they gazed into each other's eyes. "I believe the couple has written their own vows?"
"Uh, y-yeah," Lucio stammered, pulling the folded paper out of the inside pocket of his tuxedo. He was suddenly overcome with nerves, which was so unlike him! He was a performer! But something about this, something about Dez made his heart flutter. She was different from the rest of his fans; she'd always stood out the most. "I wrote these around the time I proposed, and my feelings have only grown deeper since then."
"I should have known," Dez said with a playful smirk. She didn't know why she thought he'd go with the generic vows. She should have known by now that he would have his own heartfelt way of saying things.
They shared a soft chuckle as he cleared his throat, unfolding the note. He couldn't help but tear up as he glossed over the first line and stared into her eyes. "Odessa, you are the love, the light of my life. You are my greatest and only muse. Without you, I wouldn't have achieved any of the successes I have today. You inspire me each and every day to become a better supporter of humanity, to give back to those in need, to love and be a better man for you. We've already done so much together, and I know we will achieve great things. For now, all I want is to call you my wife and give you the moon and the stars, even though you deserve so much more than that. But even these vows can't express how much I love you."
Dez stood there as he sang her a verse of a song she hadn't heard before, and it brought her and everyone watching to tears. Was that a new song? It sounded lovely. Moreover, how was she supposed to top that?! "You smooth talker. I've never heard that one before."
"It's something I've been writing since the moment we made things official. Our third date," he knew she was probably trying to figure out how she was going to top that, but she didn't need to say anything. He knew all he needed to know from her actions. "It's still not done. I want it to be perfect for you."
"Anything you do for me is perfect," she said, thankful she memorized her vows. He'd be surprised for sure! "And I've written my own vows, too."
"I knew you would," he knew she wasn't a writer or anything close by a long shot, but he knew her love for him ran deep enough for her to want to express it in words. "Let's hear it, Dessa. I wanna know what's in your heart."
Oh, he always knew how to say her name with just the right inflection. Before him, she didn't like her name at all, but with the way he embraced it? He rubbed off on her for sure! "I've got 'em memorized!" She couldn't help but boast as she mentally prepped herself. "Lucio, my love… my babyface," she gushed. "I've never known happiness 'til I met you. I've never seen or felt true love 'til you showed me what it was. For you, I'd go anywhere and fight anything. For you, I'd give it all up if it meant staying by your side. I've never in my life felt so, so…" she faltered, trying to find the words. She really wasn't the wordsmith of the relationship! "You make me feel like a million bucks!"
"Dez," Lucio let his tears fall freely at her mass declaration of love. For her to say she'd give it all up for him meant more than she'd ever know, but he would never let her stop doing the things she loved. "Easy to make someone who looks like a million bucks feel like a million bucks!"
She blushed madly at his compliments, trying not to cry and ruin her makeup. There were quite a lot of soft emotions she was experiencing! She was going to have to hurry up and go on a hunt with Ham after their honeymoon to feel tough again! Who liked feeling things?
"The rings?" The minister asked softly to Hammond, who surprisingly offered to hold onto their wedding bands.
And as they slipped their symbols of love onto each other's ring fingers, they couldn't have felt any closer than they did in that moment.
"Do you, Lucio Correia dos Santos, take our Queen of the Outback, Odessa Stone, as your lawful wedded wife, in sickness and in health 'til death do you part?"
"You know I do!" Lucio flashed her a bright smile.
"And do you, Odessa Stone, take the world-famous, Lucio Correia dos Santos, as your lawful wedded husband, in sickness and in health 'til death do you part?"
As soon as she was about to answer, mad laughter came from beneath the cliff and a rabid vamp emerged midair. To her immediate anger and distaste, it wasn't just any ordinary vamp, but one of the very vamps she and Ham went up against no more than two weeks prior. No fucking way.
"Sorry to interrupt your little piss up here," Jamie said manically as he floated in the sky, looking for the perfect place to throw bomb number two. He and Hog waited, strategically planning the right moment to pounce. His mate had it in his head that it would be even more vicious if they attacked the moment they said 'I do', and he had to admit it was painfully funny! He couldn't wait to see the look on that galah's face once her little wedding fell through! "Just thought I'd drop by and leave you a present!"
Enraged, Dez had her blade in hand in the blink of an eye, chucking it at the flying rat. He dared interrupt her wedding?! "You're gonna pay for this!"
"I wouldn't be so sure about that!" Jamie chortled, tossing his second bomb at the altar and detonating it. He cackled maniacally as their plan worked, separating the two in the most horrible fashion and skedaddling out of there before he was caught in the crossfire! He could only hope Roadhog made it out of this alive!
Lucio barely had time to process whatever was happening before Dez was throwing her knife at a vamp that was trying to crash their wedding. Right as he went to duck behind cover, something landed at his feet, and he couldn't react quickly enough to dodge it before it sent him up into the air and away from the cliff, toward the icy blue water. No, this couldn't be how it ended. It couldn't be. She'd save him.
Dez was horrified when she realized what the rat's purpose there truly was. In the blink of an eye, he'd dropped another bomb at the altar and sent Lucio off the cliff, and it was that precise moment when her world came crumbling down around her. "Lucio!" She cried out, disregarding everything else and diving off the cliff in an attempt to rescue him, tears already flying in the wind.
She watched him hit the water and sink, his black tuxedo instantly blending into the darkness of the deep sea. But that was okay, she'd find him as long as she landed in the same spot! Unfortunately, as soon as she was about to make contact with the water, she was snagged and brought over to none other than the big fat vamp she almost ended during her last hunt.
Mako took a deep inhale of diesel as they sat at the bottom of the cliff, listening to the wedding. He just wanted to gag once they finished their vows, but he figured it would make his revenge all the sweeter if they waited right until the end before he destroyed her life. He wanted to give her a taste of what she could have had before she messed with him.
So, he gave Jamie the signal and watched him go flying in the air to send his regards, letting out a deep chuckle as the groom was dumped into the sea. Any moment now, that hunter would jump after him, completely devastated and ignoring everything else.
Which was exactly what she did only a few seconds later, leaping off the cliff in a hysterical cry. Too bad for her, that wasn't how things were going to go! He waited until the right moment before throwing his hook and stopping her midair, bringing her face to face with his scrap gun. "Hi," he breathed out ominously.
"You son of a bitch!" Dez roared, ignoring the fact that she'd just taken shrapnel to the chest and tried to pry his rusty hook from her dress. She couldn't care less about this dirty vamp, she just wanted to save her husband! But when she stepped backward into his godforsaken trap, it became devastatingly clear that she wasn't going to get to him in time. "Let me go!" She growled, calling for her blade and lodging it into his giant belly, which apparently did nothing.
Mako only laughed as she tried her damndest to untangle her dress from his hook before she just ripped the part that was causing her trouble and took off toward the water again. "Where do you think you're going?" He asked, throwing his hook again and repeating the process.
At this point, Dez only saw red. This had to be payback of some sort for leaving in the middle of their fight, but what the fuck did her Lucio have to do with any of it?! He had no right bringing someone who had nothing to do with it into this! And now, he wasn't even going to let her save him?! "I'm gonna chew off your face and drag your carcass through the street, ya bloody fuckin' wanker!" She shouted, pulling out her gun and shooting him wherever she could land her bullets. "And then, I'm gonna dance on your dead body after I kill your little rat friend!"
She wished she had her axe with her. It would make things a whole lot quicker. "You took him from me!" She screamed, switching things up and tackling him to the sand as tears streamed down her face. She blindly accepted the few shots from his scrap gun and they hurt like hell, but nothing compared to the pain of what just happened. Nothing compared to the feeling of losing her soulmate. "The only one I'll ever love, and you took him from me!" She sobbed, blowing both his hands off and loading his chest and head with bullets from her shotgun before punching him to what she hoped was death.
The entire ordeal probably took less than three minutes, but it was far too long for Lucio to be in the water! Once she was sure the vamp could no longer stop her, she took back off into the water, diving in and looking around desperately for him. He had to still be alive. He had to. There was no way it ended like this! It was impossible! He just promised her he'd be with her forever! Clearly, forever was only about thirty seconds, and she didn't know what she was going to do!
She didn't even get to say "I do."
When Mako hooked her again, the last thing he was expecting was for her to run at him and tackle him to the ground! No one ever dared get that close to him, nor became brave enough to take his scrap gun close up! Those shots should have ended her, but she must have been too hopped up on adrenaline, screeching about how she was going to kill him. All he could do was try to push her off and shoot her up close and personally before she rudely blew off his hands. Following up with what he was certain were silver bullets to his chest, everything went dark after that.
The soft beeping of machinery was the only sound in the room, and it was a constant reminder of the bad karma she continued to experience. She thought she was fine with it, she thought she was used to all the negativity, but it turned out, she wasn't. This was the hardest thing she'd ever had to experience, and every single day was a struggle.
The day of her wedding was supposed to be the best day of her life, not the worst. She was supposed to have made fond, beautiful memories, not horrible, unfortunate ones. They were supposed to run off into the sunset together, they should have been in Bali by now! Instead… she was sitting by his side as he lie lifelessly in his hospital bed.
He wasn't dead, but she felt like he was. After she found him and pulled him out of the water, he'd already lost consciousness and her efforts to help him regain them were for naught. He was airlifted to the nearest hospital, and she'd been there with him ever since, praying he'd wake up soon. So far, it'd been two weeks since he was taken from her, and each day, the doctor rudely reminded her of how unresponsive he was and followed up with how even the most comatose of patients had woken up before.
It could take days, or it could take years.
She only knew one thing. Pulling the plug would never be an option. She'd wait by his side for the rest of her life if she needed to.
Hammond felt incredibly guilty about the entire thing. He watched the entire thing go down helplessly since he didn't bring his mech, and even telling her to bring her weapons didn't help much. No one knew things were going to go the way they did, but he couldn't help but wonder how differently things would have gone if he had his wrecking ball with him. She told him time and time again that it wasn't his fault, but… if he had it, he could have stopped the flying vamp, or he could have gone after Lucio while she was trapped with the other one. Now, look where his stupid decision got them.
"[Dez,]" he said, pattering into the hospital room and climbing into a chair he had set up for when he stayed with her. He'd never seen her so… distraught before, and it broke his heart. She was a mess. She hadn't left the hospital one time since they got there, and she needed to sleep in a real bed. "[You should head home and get some rest.]"
Dez only shook her head, tears silently falling from bloodshot eyes as she held Lucio's hand. She couldn't, she wouldn't leave him. Not until he was awake. She stared at the wedding bands on their fingers, could she even call him her husband officially? They didn't get a chance to finish their ceremony.
"[You can't stay here forever; you need real food and real sleep!]"
Dez glared at him, why on earth would he suggest something so absurd? She wasn't leaving him! She couldn't… not when his being here was her fault. By now, the entire world knew what happened and she knew she was getting blamed. If she'd just finished that bastard off when she had the chance, they wouldn't be in this situation! If she'd never pursued him… he wouldn't be lying in a hospital bed clinging to life! She was so ridden with guilt, the least she could do was stay by his side. "Sleep?" She scoffed, looking over at her husband's peaceful face. "There's only one of us gettin' some decent sleep around here."
Hammond knew she was blaming herself, but she wasn't at fault! She didn't know those vamps were going to hold some sort of grudge! She didn't know they would go far enough to crash her wedding! There was no way she could have predicted the future. Of course, he'd told her all of this repeatedly, but unfortunately, Lucio was known around the globe, and the fact that a lot of people were blaming her for getting him caught up in her lifestyle wasn't helping at all. "[It's not your fault.]"
"Tell that to my conscience and the heaps of mongrels that say otherwise," she said solemnly, squeezing his hand. She wished he'd squeeze back. She wished he'd just wake up and tell her he was alright. She wished things would just go back to normal.
But since when was her life ever that easy?
"[You at least need to eat.]" Hammond knew she'd decline, but he had to try. He couldn't stand seeing her this way! "[Maybe we can take a trip to the house and pack some stuff to bring back? To clear your head?]
"Ham, you don't understand," her voice quivered. "I can't go to that place. I can't go back to an empty house!" He'd gone out of his way to have their dream home built in a town she called home, and they were supposed to live happily ever after in that house! They were going to hang their wedding photos up right at the entrance! And she was now supposed to return alone? She couldn't bear it!
"[Then at least go back to the apartment. I know some of your stuff is still there. At least you can take some time to get some decent rest.]"
"I ain't leavin'!" Her voice was firm, and her demand was clear. She absolutely refused to leave his side! "I'll continue to sleep here, right next to my husband 'til he wakes up."
"[Dez…]" Hammond had an idea he had but wasn't sure if it was too soon to spring it on her, but now was as good a time as any. "[Why don't we get him to a hospital closer to home? That way if you do end up going back home even for a brief moment, it'll be close by.]"
As much as she didn't want to disturb her sleeping angel, they'd been stuck in Brisbane since before the wedding, and she desperately wanted to get her feet back on familiar soil. She already had an idea of how expensive it was going to be to move him across the continent, but he was worth anything. She just… "I don't think I can go back home and pretend everything is okay."
"[I get it.]" He slid off his chair and pattered over to the door. "[I'll bring you back something to eat.]"
Why? It wasn't like she had an appetite. She hadn't had a real meal since the morning of her wedding day, only eating just enough to keep herself alive. She thought about all the "miraculous" ways her life was supposed to change. She'd have been married to one of the most famous pop stars to date, living in a house he so generously crafted and had built just for her, even entertaining the idea of having his children in the future, and she hated ankle biters! But for him… he was worth having a million.
She laughed bitterly, still ahold of his hand. Those things weren't going to happen now! She only wanted those things because she was with him, and now that he was… Was she supposed to just go back to hunting? Was she supposed to go back to her apartment and continue her life from before she met him? Her entire routine, every waking moment of her current life revolved around him. What was she supposed to do now?
Lake Grace
A year later
It'd been a long and cruel year, and she wished she could say much had changed, but sadly, it hadn't. With much reluctance, she ended up moving into the house he built for her. Of course, she didn't want to move alone, so she arranged for him to receive around-the-clock care in one of the spare bedrooms. It was much easier that way, allowing her to get some decent rest while staying right next to him.
She hadn't left the house a single time in the several months they'd been there.
She couldn't. She tried! Her conscience wouldn't let her leave his side! So, she did what any other rational person would do in this situation and just became recluse, ordering whatever she needed for delivery and living off the savings she had set aside. She refused to hunt, she refused to fight in the arena. All she wanted to do was be there for Lucio as best she could. She was no longer the Outback's greatest hunter or the arena's greatest fighter, and she didn't care; those were titles she could earn back when the time allowed. For now, all she had the energy and will to do was sit next to him.
Every day, she asked for an update, and every day, the answer would be the same: nothing, no response, unresponsive. They said the likelihood of him waking up was minimal, but she didn't care. She'd wait however long.
So, every day, she'd wake up in the same room and pull up her chair, holding his hand and talking to him about any and everything that was on her mind. She talked to him about dreams she had, she told him about whatever current events were happening in his hometown that day, she even played his music constantly. She made new promises to him, offering him anything he wanted, kids, travel, anything. She thought that maybe, just maybe, if she offered her presence and spoke to him consistently, it would be just enough to reach him. She needed him to know she was still there, and she wasn't going anywhere.
She even remembered the short verse he sang on their wedding day and sang it back to him every chance she got. She wished so badly she could hear the entire thing from his lips, she wished so badly to gaze into his eyes. What she'd give to hear him call her beautiful again, what she'd give to hear him call her "Dessa" and tell her how amazing she was. She clung to each memory she had of his positive affirmations and words of encouragement, knowing deep down she probably wouldn't hear them again.
It'd been a year since she heard his voice, but she'd never forget what it sounded like. She'd never forget how he made her feel. She'd never forget the wonderful moments they spent together. She'd never forget about the dreams he shared with her, and she'd carry out every last one of them in his spirit once she was strong enough to live without him again, if ever. He was unforgettable. But for now, she'd wait by his side until she had the courage to show her face to the world again.
'Til death did them part.