Atlanta - 'Til Death... (Brennan/Madison/Sastre)

[Sastre Quicksilver]

Lily paced around outside the judge's office, biting her nails.

She really couldn't believe this was happening, that she was here with Brennan, getting ready to go in there and get married. Sure, being married at city hall by a local judge certainly wasn't romantic, and it wasn't going to be a huge ceremony or anything, but that would all come later, she knew. This just happened to be the best they could do on such short notice. Right now, though, she just wanted to be married, and she didn't really care about the particulars. That wasn't what had her nervous. She loved Brennan, and when the witch had brought up doing this, getting married now rather than actually waiting until Darian had been taken care of, Lily had jumped at the idea.

No, actually getting married wasn't what was bothering her.

Flicking her gaze over, Lily watched Brennan carefully for any signs that she might be getting cold feet, or changing her mind about actually wanting to go through with this. It was a fear that Lily always lived with: the fear that someday Brennan would realize that she could do better, and that Lily really wasn't good enough for her... And now, when they were finally so close to being wed, Lily found that fear gnawing at her even more than usual. God, what would she do if they got in there and Brennan really did change her mind?

Stopping her incessant pacing, Lily forced her mind to settle down and relax as she smoothed at non-existent wrinkles in her new, sleek black dress. It was one that she'd went out and bought especially for this occasion--not that she needed any specific reason to buy herself something new, of course--and she suddenly wondered if maybe she should have went with something else. What if she didn't look good in it? What if Brennan saw her and realized that she didn't want to get married after all?

You're losing it, Faraday, she chided herself, still biting her nails out of habit. If she didn't want to do this, she wouldn't be here. She wouldn't have brought it up in the first place. No settle down, relax... Closing her eyes, Lily let her mind run through one of the mental calming exercises that Quicksilver had taught her. It seemed to help, but not much...

Thinking of Sastre made her look toward where he sat calmly on a bench beside Madison, an arm draped around the young doctor's shoulders while they waited. When their eyes met, the old hunter flashed her a reassuring wink, and Lily found herself relaxing a bit more. Everything would be fine. Nothing would go wrong.

And, soon, she'd be married...

((TAG: Brennan, Madison, or Sastre))

[Abigail Faraday-Brennan]

Brennan sighed and snapped her cell phone closed, turning back toward the doors of the courthouse.

She felt awful going through with this without her mother being able to attend, but she just couldn’t wait any longer. In this life, you couldn’t drag your feet about things, since everything was likely to go to hell at any moment. Her mother had covered her disappointment well, though, and Brennan vowed that when all this was over, she’d give her the wedding she deserved. The elder witch had put up with far more than she should have had to in Brennan’s lifetime, and the least she could do was give a little back when she had the chance.

Heaving another guilty sigh, the witch pushed through the doors, only to stop dead in her tracks at the sight before her.

She didn’t think she’d ever seen Lily in a dress before, and she found herself hoping this wouldn’t be the last time. After all, a dress was hardly practical to hunt monsters in, and the girls rarely went anywhere that might warrant formal attire. Well, maybe that would have to change. Brennan took a moment more to eye Lily up and down in appreciation, smiling and letting her eyes linger. The heels lent her fiancé a sleek, long legged appearance, and that dress… It never ceased to amaze Brennan how striking the hunter really was, though she seemed determined to cover it up under all the blood and bravado.

The witch still couldn’t believe that out of all of the travelling and bloodshed and lonely nights, she’d actually found someone to spend the rest of her life with. After what had happened to Ellia, she had pretty much given up on the hope of ever being with anyone; it was just too dangerous. But Lily had changed all that. Brennan had never felt such a connection with anyone else before, and she would gladly have continued hunting for as long as necessary if that’s what Lily had wanted. It just didn’t matter anymore, as long as they were together.

At first, Brennan had been skeptical when the hunter had told her that she wanted to settle down, call it quits for good. Not that long ago, Lily had been talking about taking up some sort of contract to hunt nonstop in order to save someone else, and apparently the terms had said that she couldn’t be with anyone once she agreed. The witch never knew what had come of that arrangement, but it had messed her up for a long time. She’d spent more than a few nights wondering if this was the last night they’d spend together. But Lily had said it would probably never come to pass, and apparently it hadn’t.

Realizing that she'd been standing there for much longer than she’d intended, Brennan shook her head and willed herself into motion. Giving Lily a warm smile, she approached and leaned in for a tender kiss, running her hands down her arms and taking her hands in her own.

“You ready for this?” she asked softly, leaning her forehead gently against her fiancé’s and wondering if she would understand the underlying meaning.

[Sastre Quicksilver]

Lily let out a long, slow sigh, closing her eyes.

She was ready. So ready, in fact. There had been a time not too long ago when she'd thought she'd be hunting for the rest of her life, or at least until she found the thing that had slaughtered her adoptive parents. After ten years of dead ends, though, Lily found herself doubting that getting revenge would ever happen. Truthfully, it had been many long, meaningful conversations with Sastre that had led Lily to realize that revenge really wouldn't accomplish anything in the long run. Besides, would her parents want to be avenged, or would they rather know that the little girl they raised was safe, and happy.

Lily knew that they'd prefer the latter.

So, she had completely meant it when she'd told Brennan that she wanted to give up "the life" and settle down. She was so ready to be done hunting, and though a part of her felt a bit guilty about giving up when there were still so many people out there who might need her help, she tried to push that guilt aside and just be happy. Besides, there were other hunters out there, right? Hunters who--while maybe not quite as dedicated as Lily was--were more than able to keep the fight alive. Why did it have to be her? Why should she have to sacrifice everything?

She didn't, and now she wouldn't. It was time to move on. Lily had already given ten years of her life to hunting, and more than enough blood, sweat, and tears to meet any quota there might have been.

Ready as she was, though, Lily couldn't help but feel a bit apprehensive, and for more than one reason. The obvious reason was, of course, that she still had a hard time believing that Brennan was really, truly satisfied with her. The witch was so gorgeous, and so smart and caring, that surely she could have her pick of just about anyone out there. So why Lily? Her first guess was that Brennan was simply with her out of pity, because she knew that Lily would never be able to do any better. This thought had kept her awake at night more than once, and still seemed the most likely reason. Sure, Brennan had assured her time and time again that this wasn't the case, and Lily did genuinely believe that Brennan loved her, but she just didn't want the witch to realize she'd made a mistake down the road.

The other reason was much, much worse, though. It was the one thing that she'd kept from Brennan, even after pouring her heart out to her. It was the single secret that Lily had never told anyone, though she claimed to have kept nothing from Brennan. Now, she knew that it would have to come out. They were going to be married, and Lily would have felt wrong about keeping something from her soon-to-be wife. That didn't mean, though, that she'd have to tell her right away... Maybe she'd wait a few days for everything to settle down.

What difference would a few days make anyway?

"Yeah, I'm ready," she finally answered, opening her eyes and smiling a bit. "If you are, I mean..." She fell silent again for a moment, averting her eyes before finally continuing. "It's not too late for you to change your mind, Brennan. I'd understand."

[Abigail Faraday-Brennan]

Brennan smiled softly at Lily’s uncertainty, wishing once more that she could somehow reassure her fiancé.

No matter what she said or did, Lily still seemed convinced that Brennan would one day abandon her for a better option. Nothing could have been further from the truth, and Brennan had to smile at the irony of the reversal. Not so long ago, the witch had been convinced that Lily would go off and do the exact same thing. But Lily had given herself to Brennan whole heartedly, and the witch had done the same without a second thought. Lily complemented her perfectly, and at this point, Brennan couldn’t imagine ever desiring someone else.

One day, she’d prove it. Somehow.

For now, Brennan gave her companion a warm smile and loosely draped her arms around her waist.

“I told you you couldn’t get rid of me that easily. You know I don’t make a promise unless I mean it, and I can’t imagine anyone I’d rather spend the rest of my life with. You’re stuck with me now, unless you plan on taking off on me in the next twenty minutes…?”

Stepping back, Brennan smiled at her again and gently drew her over to a bench, pulling her down to sit next to her and encircling her in her arms. If Lily refused to believe her words, then Brennan would just have to keep showing her the truth. There was nothing she could imagine that would make her leave the young woman, despite her fears. She was ready to take on anything with her, knowing that together they could face whatever life threw at them. Which, in their current line of work, tended to be quite a bit. But not for much longer. If they could just end things with Darian, they would be home free.

Sighing, Brennan rested her chin on Lily’s shoulder, leaning her head against the hunter’s.

“I love you, Lil. And I’m not going anywhere unless it’s into that judge’s office so I can get a little piece of paper that proves it. As long as you still want me, I’m all yours.”

[Sastre Quicksilver]

Lily closed her eyes and let out a long, shaky sigh.

As always, all of her fears seemed foolish when she was in Brennan's arms. Sighing again, she rested her cheek on the top of the witch's head, smiling a bit as relief began to replace her earlier doubt. Pulling back gently, she looked into Brennan's eyes and smiled, leaning in for a kiss.

"I'm not goin' anywhere," she said softly, eyes sparkling. "I love you. I wanna marry you, and I wanna get on with our lives." Kissing her again, Lily stood, taking Brennan's hands and pulling her up with her.

Giving her fiancee's hands a quick squeeze, Lily led her to the door, looking over her shoulder at Sastre and Madison and giving them a nod. She was ready to do this. She couldn't wait any more. Unable to help herself, she gave Brennan another lingering kiss, slipping her arms around her waist and holding her close.

As her father and Madison approached, Lily broke the kiss and beamed at Brennan, opening the door to the office and backing in.

"I'm ready now."

[Abigail Faraday-Brennan]

The ceremony passed in a blur.

If you could really call it a ceremony, stripped as it was of all the pomp and circumstance a wedding usually received. Brennan couldn’t have cared less. She had finally found her perfect match, and, more than that, Lily had accepted her proposal. Brennan still couldn’t believe she had said yes, and every time she thought back to that night, she was overwhelmed with elation. She’d really had no idea how the young hunter would react, but she truly couldn’t have asked for more. Someday, they would go back and have the ceremony their union deserved. Someday once all of this was finally over and done with.

Brennan was giddy thinking of all the possibilities. Once Darian was taken care of, the future was open to them. They could finally find a place all their own, and with the substantial amount of savings Brennan had squirreled away, they could pretty much choose or build anything they wanted. Brennan and her mother never charged the people who truly needed magical aid, but people were willing to pay dearly for the more frivolous bits of true witchcraft, and their talents were always in high demand. Not only should the girls be able to find the residence of their choosing, but neither of them would ever really have to work, should they decide not to. Brennan could just go back to making charms and potions to supplement her savings, and the two would be set.

And if they didn’t have to spend all their time working, they’d be free to adopt as many children as they cared to. Brennan had always wanted children of her own, but she had never imagined she’d have the chance so soon. True, Lillian had had her quite young, but Brennan still wasn’t convinced that it hadn’t been an accident of some sort. Personally, the younger witch didn’t even want to think about adopting until she was done hunting forever. Raising a child in this life was too dangerous, and there was no way to ever give them the time and attention they deserved. No, that was yet another impossible goal that had recently come within reach.

Brennan smiled warmly at the direction of her thoughts, turning her smile to her new wife and slipping her arms around her waist.

“So, how does it feel to be married, Mrs. Faraday-Brennan?”

[Sastre Quicksilver]

Lily felt positively buoyant.

Never in her entire life had she felt like this. In fact, the closest she'd come had been the night that Brennan had proposed, and even that hadn't really come close to this. Out of all of the possibilities she'd ever envisioned in her life, getting married had just never been one of them. She couldn't imagine ever finding someone that she felt so compatible with that she'd want to spend the rest of her life with them.

Over the years, Lily had been with a lot of guys. She'd admittedly used most of them for just a bit of fun, but there had been one or two that she'd actually stuck around with a few days, once as long as two weeks. She'd never felt any sort of real connection with any of them, though, so eventually she'd resigned herself to the fact that she'd probably be alone for the rest of her life. And she was alright with that, for the most part.

Everything had changed when she'd realized how she felt about Brennan, though...

And now they were married, and discussing plans to retire from hunting so that they could just enjoy their lives together in peace and relative quiet. Lily couldn't wait to have Brennan all to herself, and to have a place of their own, and maybe even to eventually have some little ones running around. She even hoped that by adopting some children, they might help fill the gap left by the little girl she'd lost so long ago...

Realizing that this train of thought was going to lead her into one of her dark, brooding moods, Lily simply sighed and focused on Brennan, a bright smile lighting up her face.

"It feels amazing, Brennan," she told her wife honestly before pulling her close for a lingering kiss. Resting her head on Brennan's shoulder, Lily whispered softly, "Thank you... for wanting me..."