Just Married [Nico Hischier]
A/N: Thank you @mads-28 for your lovely ask requesting to see more about Nico and Lexi's wedding! I hope you love this as much as I love you!!
Part of the What My World Spins Around series
Word Count: 1.0
Nico and I have done this hike numerous times before. It’s a small, local one- free of tourists or children or influencers. It’s a hidden hike the locals keep for themselves just outside of Bern. The views include the towering Swiss alps, a glacial lake, and clouds that bop along the tops of the mountains as they pass.
Nothing about this hike is traditional today.
The two people who tag along with us are not friends or family members. They are an officiant and a photographer. Nico and I are dressed in hiking stuff, but inside our hiking packs are a white, lace dress for me and a blue, dress shirt for him. There is a bouquet of fake flowers tied together with blue ribbon and two white, leather notepads with a gold H engraved into the front. Inside those covers are written vows Nico and I have curated for each other.
It has been one month since Nico proposed to me on the dock. Since then, a new family member has joined our family. After meeting Lio Meier, Nico and I looked at each other and thought, why wait any longer to seal our deal? We kinda want one of these sooner rather than later.
But Timo and Emma had just gotten engaged and are rushing to the altar before the season starts. So to avoid stepping on their toes, and selfishly because we wanted this all along, we are getting married in secret. No parents, no friends, just us and two strangers.
Then, we will go to the city register’s office and do it all officially there again. After it is official, we will clue everyone else in with a surprise, we got married! announcement.
We don’t want a party. We don’t want gifts.
All we want is to be married.
The last part of the hike is precarious. Rocks litter the trail, some snow remains in parts of the trail that don’t get sun. But we all prevail. I put my arms victoriously in the air because that was hard and I got through it easily with the Swiss natives.
“One of us!!!” Nico yells excitedly, lifting me into the air. “Minus the fact that you hate raclette.”
“My one flaw.” I agree, bowing my head to him.
“You’re perfect.” He murmurs sweetly. His fingers lace with mine, squeezing, before he looks at our guests. “Please marry us as soon as possible.” I swoon. Our guests laugh and nod.
“Shall we.” The officiant points to the rock closest to the ledge that provides us the most incredible view to look at while we wed.
Nico and I pull on our wedding outfits. He helps me zip my dress up over my hiking stuff. The photographer snaps pictures of us. The warm breeze blows the smells of the wild flowers up from the valley to us. In our hiking boots, with our books steady in our hands, we receipt our vows.
While I speak, Nico’s eyes fill with tears. I wish I had better words than what is on this paper to describe him. Every time I sat down and wrote and rewrote my vows, it never felt like I could get the right combination of letters to describe my love for him. I finally accepted that words would never describe what he is to me, or what he will be in the future. All I can say is I love you and prove it for the rest of my life.
After I finish, I reach forward, holding his cheeks in both of my hands. My thumbs collect the droplets of water he shed for me, for us. Nico pulls me closer, resting our foreheads together, resisting the urge to kiss me even though his hands shake with his desire to.
Then, he begins to weave us through our story.
“We started off as nothing, barely even neighborly because I couldn’t get the courage to speak to you.” A grin stretches my lips. “Then we were friends, but I watched you leave that apartment every day talking about the different dates you had been on until I finally got the courage to ask you out.”
“Thought you never would.” I tease.
“You stepped into this complex life without looking back. I know it’s been a lot. You’ve been asked to sacrifice, sleep alone, and navigate big parts of life without me. But you still choose me, like it’s the easiest decision you make every day.” I nod because it is. Nico sniffs, then sucks in a big breath. “I love you. I kept thinking of all the ways I could tell you that today. Or how I could show it to you. But I realized, I need a whole lifetime to do so. Even then, it’s only scratching the surface .” He tucks a chunk of blowing hair back behind my ear. “I promise to take care of you. To love you even on our worst days. To show up for you and support you in all your hopes, dreams, and wants. To be your best friend and your best lover.” He winks. “To try even when I’m tired or it feels too hard or I don’t think you deserve it.”
“Mmm.” I murmur, nodding. The last part is a call back to my parents and their divorce- how my mom didn’t think my dad deserved for her to fight for them. Tears fill my eyes as he pauses, really letting that sink in.
“Because our love is worth it. Now and forever.” He finishes.
“That was perfect, Neeks.” I whisper. We join hands, our books pressing into each other's opposite palms.
The last few rights are done. We exchange rings and finally, urgently, kiss. It’s explosive and short. Our smiles get in the way of binding us for life, but like Nico said, we have a whole life time of this to do.
We open beers and salute to one another, then chug the light liquid, surly not needing it to feel buzzed after the high of being married. We hike back down the mountain with 'Just Married' signs on each of our backs. We pass no one, but the declaration is there.
Lexi and Nico Hischier are married.
And it will be for forever.
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Miss Fortune ~ Chapter Twenty-Nine
Miss Fortune - Modern AU
Summary: Everyone in Cranford Falls knows the Prescott family. Not only do they run Miss Fortune’s Crystal occult shop in town, but they’re also known for their psychic abilities. On occasion, they’re even called into service to assist the police on particularly difficult cases. All except Alex Prescott, that is. Unlike her three sisters, she’s inherited none of her family’s gifts. At least that was what she thought until the day the dead guy showed up in her bedroom asking for her help in solving a murder. His own.
Six months after his brother Frerin’s death, Detective Thorin Durin is on a downward spiral of self-destruction until Frerin starts showing up in his apartment, claiming his death was not an unfortunate accident but was, in fact a murder. Trouble is, Frerin doesn’t know who did it, so he wants Thorin to reopen the case and solve it, with Alex’s help.
As they work together to find out just exactly what happened to Frerin, Alex and Thorin grow closer. Neither one knows it, but Frerin isn’t just looking to solve his own murder, he’s trying to help his brother cope with his loss as well, and to find happiness with the Prescott sister who’s known as the quiet one…
Summary: Grandmama Prescott wants to know exactly what Thorin’s intentions are where Alex is concerned…
Pairing: Modern!Thorin x ofc Alex Prescott
Characters: Thorin, Alex, Gram, Frerin, Teddy
Warnings: None
Rating: G
Word Count: 4,242
Tag List: @tschrist1 @i-did-not-mean-to @lathalea @linasofia @fizzyxcustard @legolasbadass @kibleedibleedoo @xxbyimm @arrthurpendragon @exhausted-humxn-being @rachel1959 @laurfilijames @sketch-and-write-lover @sherala007 @enchantzz @knitastically @notlostgnome @myselfandfantasy @ggfamert @medusas-hairband @guardianofrivendell @jotink78
If you’d like to be added (or removed) to the tag list, please just let me know!
Previous chapters can be found here.
When he first opened his eyes, it took Thorin a minute to remember where he was. Alex’s bedroom—a bit larger than his bedroom, with beautiful stained trim and crown moulding. The walls were a soft, pale green, adorned with framed posters from old-time movies. Above her desk hung a pink and white French memo board and into that she’d tucked photographs of her with her sisters, with a taller, dark-haired woman he assumed was Terri, note cards like the ones that came with delivered flowers, and other pictures, newspaper clippings and things of that sort.
He rubbed his eyes with one hand. His headache had subsided and Alex lay curled up alongside him, still sound asleep. He leaned over to brush her temple with a light kiss, then carefully eased over her to rise from the bed.
His jeans lay draped over the foot of Alex’s queen-sized bed, so he picked them up and slid into them, then made his way downstairs, where he found Grandmama Prescott in the kitchen. She was at the sink and didn’t even look over as she said, “Good morning, Lieutenant.”
“Please,” he replied with a smile, “Thorin is fine.”
“All right then.” Now she looked over her shoulder. “Good morning, Thorin. Are you hungry? I was just about to get pancakes and bacon going.”
“Point me in the direction of the bacon and I’ll give you a hand.”
She smiled. “Top drawer in the fridge and I’d love the help.”
He moved to the fridge and found the bacon, then came back to where she was setting up a cast iron griddle on the range top. “How much do you need?”
“All of it. I’m feeding a full house plus a man this morning.” She nudged him gently with her shoulder. “So, put all of it on and we can talk while it cooks.”
He did just that and as he laid the strips on the griddle, he braced himself for her first question, which didn't disappoint.
“What are your intentions where Alexandra is concerned?”
He looked over to find her blue eyes trained on him, without a trace of humor or laughter in them. “I promise you, Mrs. Prescott, my intentions are completely honorable where Lexi is concerned. She knows this.”
“She does?”
He nodded. “She does. And that’s actually something I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Really?” Grandmama gestured to the Keurig. “Coffee?”
“I’ll get it. Just point me in the direction of the cups and the pods.”
She did and five minutes later, while bacon sizzled and the electric skillet warmed up, he sat at the kitchen table across from her as she said, “What did you wish to talk to me about?”
He took a sip of Black Silk and, lowering the cup, said, “I want to marry Alex, Mrs. Prescott, and I’d like your blessing to ask her.”
She just stared at him over the rim of her cup, her blue eyes almost perfectly round. “What?”
He nodded. “I want to ask her to marry me.”
“The two of you have only been a couple for a few weeks. Aren’t you rushing things a bit?”
“Maybe, but it feels right to me. And she knows how I feel. We’ve talked about it, and… well.. I know you know what happened to my brother last winter.”
“I do and I’m so sorry, Thorin. I can only imagine what it had to be like. I only wish I could have been more of a help back when it happened.”
“I appreciated what you did do, Mrs. Prescott. And now, since Alex has been working with me, we’ve gotten a bead on a person of interest, but he’s slipped through my grasp. Literally. I had my hands on him yesterday and he knocked me on my ass. Oh,” he winced, “sorry about that.”
She offered up an amused stare. “It takes far more than that to offend me, Thorin. Don’t worry about it. The important thing is that you’re okay, more or less.”
“Yeah. Fortunately, Durins have heads like rocks. And either way, this whole mess has helped me put things in perspective to a certain degree.” He sat back, tracing the rim of his coffee cup with his forefinger. “I’d wanted to ask Alex out for a long time before I actually worked up the nerve to do it. And since she and I started seeing each other, everything has just felt… right…”
“She cares about you, Thorin. I hope you know that.”
“I do.” He smiled. “She stayed up most of last night to make sure I woke up every hour on the hour. I know she cares. That’s the kind of person she is.”
“And you know, in this family… things are a little different. Especially where Alex is concerned.”
“I’m well aware of how different your family is, Mrs. Prescott, and even where Lex is concerned. I’ve worked with all of you long enough to know and accept you’re not like most other families and she is like no other woman out there.”
“She has grown up in the shadows of her sisters. And those are some large shadows, Thorin. And you’re not the first man who’s come around, and before you, quite a few of them fell prey to Teddy or Syd or Charlie and if you—”
Annoyance kinked his gut. “I’ve seen what they do, Mrs. Prescott. And I’m not blind to Teddy and her flirting, but I promise you, I’m not interested in anyone who’s not Alex. I’m not interested in Teddy. Or Syd. Or Charlie.”
Grandmama got up to tend to the bacon. “You’ll forgive me, but I’ve heard that before. You should only know how many times.”
“Mrs. Prescott,” Thorin could hold back his sigh as he got up as well, and moved to lean against the counter, “I promise you, I know Teddy’s just been waiting for me to ask her out. She’s subtle as a brick. And I know that makes me sound like an arrogant prick, but I’m not blind or stupid. I know what I look like and I’m painfully aware how she drops hints and what those hints mean, but I promise you, I love Alex. I want to marry her. Not Teddy or Syd or Charlie, but Alex.”
Grandmama’s eyes softened. “If you hurt her, Lieutenant—”
“I won’t. I promise you that as well.”
Although she still didn't look entirely convinced, she sighed softly. “She seems happy and I wouldn’t want her to be anything but that, so… I don’t suppose I could say no, even if I felt I should.”
He held her stare. “So, you’re saying yes?”
Those piercing blue eyes remained unblinking for another minute or so more before she slowly nodded. “Get me a plate for the pancakes? The cabinet to your left.”
He smiled. “Sure.”
The aroma of frying bacon roused Alex from her sleep. She rolled onto her back, rubbing her eyes with one hand. For a crazy moment, she wondered if she’d just dreamed the entire thing—from Frerin’s first appearance to Thorin’s showing up at midnight the previous evening.
But then, a soft tap came at the door and it opened enough for Thorin to poke his head into the room. “You up yet?”
She smiled. “Where did you vanish to?”
The door swung wide and he filled the doorway. “I was having a heart to heart with Grandmama and trying to convince her that I’m not just using you for sex until Teddy clears a spot on her calendar for me.”
“What?”
He came into the room, closing the door behind him. The sunlight slatting in through the blinds made the bandage on his chest almost glow, burnished the rest of his skin almost golden. He leaned against the closed door. “Your grandmother was worried I was using you to get to one of your sisters. But, I think I managed to convince her that you’re the only one I’m interested in.”
“She worries about me.”
“Yeah, and from the sounds of it,” he came over to sink onto the edge of her bed, “your sisters think nothing of trying lure a guy away from you.”
“It’s not like it takes a lot of effort sometimes. I mean, look at them. They’re perfect.”
He leveled a long look at her. “Lex.”
“I know, I know,” she sighed. “I sound like an insecure teenager. But at the same time, when it happens time and again? It kind of drives the point home about how different I am from them.”
“And that difference is one of my favorite things about you, you know.” He leaned in to brush her lips with his, and then he gently pressed her on to her back. Her belly did a slow flip as he growled, “I’m yours, Lex. And you’re mine and I don’t want any other woman who’s not you.”
She gazed up at him, into those beautiful blue eyes she’d come to love so very much. “Did she really say that about my sisters?”
“Kind of, yeah,” he murmured, his lips brushing hers. “But then I told her I plan on marrying you and that seemed to change her mind about my biding my time to pounce on Teddy.”
Her stomach fluttered again. “Are you serious about that, Thorin?”
“About marrying you?” He nodded slowly. “Absolutely.” He dipped forward to nuzzle her, whispering, “I told you that, didn't I?”
“Well, yeah, but…”
“I don’t know what he did to you,” Thorin murmured as he drew back, “but you can trust me, Lex. I’m not going to push you aside for one of them, I swear to you I’m not.”
She sighed softly, tracing her finger along the line of his beard—down along his jaw, around his chin, back up, and said, “Do I seem that insecure to you?”
“It’s happened, hasn’t it? That’s why you haven’t asked me who I meant by he.”
“More times than I care to think about, actually. After all while, I just assume every guy who’s interested in me is interested because of them.”
“I’m not. I swear to you, I’m not.” He nuzzled her again. “When I think about my future, honey, I see you in it. And now, when I think about having a family, my kids all have your eyes. Your beautiful green eyes, Lexi.”
His soft words sent a delicious chill through her, one she hadn’t expected. But then again, she hadn’t expected his words, either. “Thorin…”
“What? I’m not allowed to say that? Am I supposed to be too tough to say it? Too much of a man?”
“Well, no other guy has ever said anything even close to that to me, so… yeah… I think you might be.”
“Get used to it, Lex. I’m soft with the right woman. Haven’t you figured that out by now?” He smiled down at her, then dipped to kiss her once more. “You should come down and have some breakfast,” he added between kisses, “because if you don’t… I’m having my way with you right here and right now…”
Hey eyes grew heavy-lidded as he moved down along her neck, which bowed on its own. “What about your head?”
“My head’s fine,” he murmured, flicking his tongue into the hollow of her throat, “and the door is closed, so there really isn’t much to stop me right now.”
“Only my entire family downstairs.”
“I don’t care about your family at the moment, Lexi.” He swept a kiss down toward the valley between her breasts. “Just be quiet and they’ll never know.”
She threaded her fingers into his hair as he eased one strap of her camisole from her shoulder and his fingers slid over the rise of her breast. An airy sigh floated to her lips, his fingers curling about the edge of the cami to tug it down and freed her breast. He kneaded it gently, his thumb slipping lightly about her nipple.
A tingle rippled through her at his teasing touch, and her head began to spin slowly. “Thorin… my gram is right downstairs… and my sisters…. And maybe Terri…”
“So be quiet,” came his whispered response, his lips replacing his thumb on her nipple.
Her eyes rolled back into her head, her back bowed, her fingers twisted in his hair. A sigh bubbled to her lips, her fingernails scraped lightly along his bare back. He kissed lower, easing the other strap down before tugging her camisole down to her waist. She smiled at the sweep of his soft lips against her skin, at the way the tip of his tongue swept against her skin between kisses. And this man wanted to marry her. How did that even happen?
“Alex?” Teddy rapped on the closed door. “Are you two coming down for breakfast?”
Thorin swore softly, his head coming to rest against her stomach as he whispered, “Your sister has terrible timing, Lexi.”
“I know. And I tried to tell you…”
He lifted his head. “You should just move in with me, Lex.”
Her stomach did a massive flip, the flutter rippling through her even as she smiled up at him. “Gram said it was only a matter of time before you asked me to live with you.”
He grinned. “Did she? She’s a wise woman.”
“Yes, she did and yes, she is.”
“Alex?”
“We’ll be there in a minute, Teddy,” Alex called back.
“As soon as we put some clothes on,” Thorin added with a wicked grin.
“Oh… oh, god… I’m sorry,” Teddy stammered. “I didn’t… I mean… what should I tell Gram?”
Thorin winked at Alex, who shook her head and mouthed, Don’t you dare, as he said, “Tell her I’m getting lucky.”
Then, to her horror, he moaned softly and added, “I love when you do that, Lexi…”
“Are you insane?” Alex hissed.
He winked, then added a moany, “Oh…. Yes…”
“I’ll… I’ll just tell her you’ll be down in a—in a bit, then. Okay?”
Thorin let out a lusty sigh, but before he could make the situation worse, Alex clapped her hand over his mouth and said, “Thank you, Teddy!”
The floorboards creaked, followed by the stairs creaking, and as the sounds faded, Alex did her best to scowl at him. “Are you completely nuts?”
“What?”
“Thorin!”
He dipped to kiss her. “What? Nothing wrong with driving the point home that I’m not interested in sleeping with anyone not you.”
“Well, no, there isn’t, but she doesn’t need to hear it.”
He eased off her and stood. “Lexi, we both know I’m not a big talker when I’m actually having sex, aside from urging you to go nice and slow with me.”
She smiled. “Well, I don’t know I’d say you weren’t a big talker, but you’re definitely a lot growlier.”
“Growlier?”
She nodded. “Oh, yeah. Your voice gets even deeper and rougher than normal. It’s actually pretty sexy, if you want the truth.”
He smiled. “I leave the talking to you. Lets me know when I’m doing something right.”
“Do you honestly worry about doing it wrong?”
“I just don’t want to leave you wanting, baby. That’s all.”
“I really don’t think that will ever be a problem.”
He winked. “Good answer, Lex. Good answer.”
“We should go down before Gram thinks we really are destroying each other up here.”
“You haven’t answered me yet, you know.”
Her stomach did that flip again. “Were you seriously asking me?”
“Yeah. I’m seriously asking you, Alex. I like sleeping with you—in all the ways. And I like waking up next to you. And I think you should move in with me.” He leaned over, brushed her lips with his, and added, “You don’t have to give me an answer now, but give it some thought.”
She smiled, draping her arms about his neck. “Thorin?”
“Yeah?”
“Shut up.” She pulled him to her and as their lips met, she whispered, “When can I move in?”
Thorin sat back in his chair, dabbing his mouth with his napkin. “Mrs. Prescott, that was amazing.”
She smiled. “Thank you.”
“Would you like more coffee, Lieutenant?” Teddy asked, leaning an elbow on the table as she bent toward him. “I mean, before you head off to work.”
“I’m good, thanks.” He set his napkin down. “I talked to my captain and I’m on the bench for the rest of the week, so I don’t need my usual shot of caffeine.”
“On the bench?” Teddy asked, arching one brow as she lifted her coffee cup.
“I’m off duty until I’m cleared to go back and that won’t be for at least the rest of this week. I’ve got to go see my doctor and get cleared first. Which means,” he turned to Alex and smiled, “how do you feel about a day or two at the shore?”
Her stomach twisted. “A day or two at the shore?”
“Yeah. I was thinking Wildwood.”
Wildwood. His parents lived in Wildwood. Her mouth went dry at the thought of his bringing her to meet his parents. “Are you sure?”
Yes, I’m sure, Lex.”
“Is he sure?” Teddy let out a soft laugh. “It’s the shore, Lex, not exactly a life-changing event.”
Alex rolled her eyes. “Says you.”
“Says me…?” Teddy looked from her to Thorin and back. “What did I miss? What’s down in Wildwood?”
“Teddy,” Gram’s voice held a low note of warning, “mind your own business.”
A hint of a flush crept into Teddy’s cheeks as she took another mouthful of coffee. Then, lowering her cup, she said, “Aren’t you supposed to be in the shop with me today, Alex?”
Biting back a sigh, Alex looked over at Thorin. “I am, actually.”
“I’ll cover for you,” Gram broke in, glaring at Teddy. “So go and enjoy yourselves.”
“What? That’s not fair, Gram, you never let me take time off for a day at the shore.”
“Alex almost never asks for time off, which is more than I can say for you, Theodora. Now, mind yourself.”
Teddy sat back with a pout while Thorin pushed away from the table and rose. “What time should I have her back by, Mrs. Prescott?”
“She is a grown woman, Lieutenant. She has no curfew.” Gram smiled at first him, then Alex. “Have fun and tell Mrs. Durin I said hello.”
“Will do, Mrs. P.”
As he and Alex made their way upstairs, Teddy was still complaining. “Why are you letting her take today off?”
“Theodora, enough. Your sister is happy and if the good detective wants to take her home to meet his mother and father, which is what I’m pretty sure he’s doing, I am not going to stand in the way of that. Now, get over your silly crush on him. Can you not see that he’s not the slightest bit interested in you?”
Alex pressed her lips together to hold back her smile. Thorin’s fingers tightened about hers, the gentle motion sending a chill through her. “Thorin?”
“What?”
“Is that what you’re doing? Bringing me home to meet your family?”
“Yeah, Lex.” His thumb swept against hers. “You’ll like them and they’ll like you, so why not?”
She smiled. “I just… I wasn't expecting it to be today. That’s all.”
“You’ll be fine.” Frerin appeared at the top of the steps. “Mom’ll be thrilled to meet you, Al. Trust me.”
“Like either one of you would tell me anything different.” She closed her bedroom door to lean back against it. “So, Frerin, do you have any idea where we might find George Lawerence?”
Frerin offered up a sly grin, sinking into the chair. “Thorin, she’s even more single-minded than you. And, actually, Al, I do have a few ideas, but they’ll keep until you get back. No statute of limitations on murder, you know.”
He said it so flippantly, that she could only stare at him. He didn't seem quite so unhappy about being dead now, and she wondered if the fact they were getting closer meant he was getting some peace.
If so, what would happen when they found out George Lawrence was the one who set the fire? And it had to be him. Alex wouldn’t let her mind convince her otherwise. It simply had to be him, because if it wasn't and they had to start all over at Square One… ugh. She didn't want to think about it.
“What happened to make you so chipper?” Thorin asked his brother. “You find a way to get laid over there?”
Frerin let out a soft laugh, shaking his head. “No. I just have a feeling about Lawrence, is all. It’s weird, but I haven’t really thought about sex all that much lately. I must be getting used to being here.” He shrugged. “Or maybe it’s the Big Man’s way of telling me my time coming back here is almost up.”
“What do you mean, almost up?” Alex pushed away from the door, crossing her room to stand before him. “You mean when this is over, you won’t be able to do this any more?”
Frerin’s smile faded as he shrugged. “I don’t know, Al. I have no idea what comes next. I don’t know if this is something I’ll be able to keep doing or if He’s got other plans for me. He plays His cards close, you know.”
She glanced over at Thorin, who looked decidedly unhappy at the thought of Frerin’s no longer crossing to their side. He pressed his lips together for a moment and his chest rose as he drew in a deep breath, then fell as he slowly exhaled and said, “I can’t… I’m not ready… I mean, I—”
“I’ll make sure I say goodbye, T. Don’t worry.” Cold air swirled through the room as Frerin stood and without thinking, Alex took a step back when he moved to stand before Thorin. “I promise you, I will.”
She looked away, moving to the desk as if there was something on it she needed to find. But there was no way to block out the pain in Thorin’s voice as he said, “I don’t know if I can do that again, Frer. You have no idea how hard it was the first time.”
“Yeah, I do, T. You all said goodbye to me. I have to say goodbye to all of you. Besides, you won’t need me. You’ve got Al and you’ll be busy building a new kickass life with her.”
She smiled, her eyes stinging as he added, “And I’m happy for you. For both of you. Don’t waste that happiness being sad over me. I’ll be fine. Enjoy the time you have, man. It’s over way too soon as it is, so don’t waste a second of it wishing anything was different, okay?”
“Frer—”
“I mean it, T. Get married. Have your family. Enjoy watching them grow up. I’ll be around in some way, shape, or form if I can be, even if you might not know I’m there.” He cleared his throat and added, “And don’t worry, Al, Mom and Dad will love you. Dís will, too. You’ll see. Oh, and you’ll have Fíli and Kíli eating out of the palm of your hand as well.”
“Who?”
Thorin met her gaze. “Her sons. They’re seven and five and hell on wheels.”
“And they’ll love you,” Frerin added. “All of them will.”
She managed to smile, blinking back tears as she turned toward him. “I hope so.”
“They will. The girl that made Thorin Durin want to settle down? They’ll love you more than him, to be honest.” He smiled, looking from her to Thorin and back. “So go, and enjoy your day and we’ll find Lawrence tomorrow, okay?”
Thorin visibly swallowed when Frerin dissipated, and when she slipped her hand into his, he tightened his fingers about hers. She didn't say anything, but leaned her head against his shoulder, her eyes closing as his thumb swept along hers and he whispered, “He better come back.”
“He will. At least until we get Lawrence,” she squeezed his hand, “he should be around. But, he doesn’t sound nearly as pissed off as he did when I first met him.”
“No, he doesn’t.” Thorin drew in another deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Maybe he’ll be totally at peace soon. And I’m glad if he will be, but, damn it, I miss him.”
“I know.”
“But,” he brought her hand up to brush a kiss along its back, “for now, we know we’ll see him again, so I’m not going to think about what happens if Lawrence is our guy. Today, I don’t really want to think about anything. So, pack your suit, maybe a change of clothes, and a toothbrush. Momma Durin will probably insist we stay over.”
“In separate rooms?”
“Probably, yeah.” He grinned. “She likes to think I’m still a virgin. And I know she’ll definitely want to think you are, so… yeah, we might end up in separate rooms. We’ll see.”
With that, she showered and packed yet another overnight bag. A quick stop at his apartment for him to do the same, and then they were off, back to the shore, and she could only hope Thorin and Frerin were right where their parents were concerned, because Alex was nervous beyond belief that they’d both hate her on sight.
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