Forum

Gemma smiled, gently running her thumb over the back of his hand. She felt a number of scars and bumps that she wasn't used to and wondered what the rest of his body felt like. She knew it would be incredible to spend the night with him. "That sounds great! I actually was going to go out tonight but my friend that usually watches Molly had to cancel at the last minute. I'll just ask if she can reschedule for tomorrow evening and I should be free to go, I get off of work at 5:30." She spent her days working as a secretary at the local elementary school, where Molly would be going in just a few years. The job didn't pay very well, so with Louis back, she hoped that he would be able to get some sort of job to help pay for things like Molly's daycare and her car payment. They finally got their food and she started to eat her soup, enjoying the taste much more than she ever had before. "Do you want to catch a movie tomorrow night at the drive-in? There's a new movie playing a couple of towns over and the weather is supposed to be perfect, clear skies and all. We can grab a bite to eat before or we can bring some snacks and munch while we watch. Unless, that is, you don't plan on watching all of the movie." She flashed him a wicked grin, winked, and let out a hearty laugh, hoping that he would appreciate her poke at having some fun. It was great to have him back, she truly missed being in his company.

 

Reed grinned. "That sounds great!" he said, glad that she had already come up with plans. He had no idea what was considered romantic anymore. He knew that roses and chocolates would usually suffice, but it had been three years, after all. No amount of flowers or boxes of candy could make up for that much lost time, as much as he hoped. "I loved the beach house, I wish we could live there," he recalled, glad that he was easily able to access the memory. "How far away is that? Your mom's place?" he asked, brow furrowing as he was unable to remember such a specific detail. He hoped that it didn't crush her spirits. He listened as she told him that it was just an hour down the road, but the beach house would take another four to get to. "We need to stop somewhere along the way and get me a few things, I have some shirts and all but not enough to last me for a week at the beach." He smiled again. "And thank you for not agreeing with me. I don't think you're an awful mother. You've pushed past all of this and our son is incredible. I just wish that I could have been here for all of the little things - his birth, his first steps, all of it." He walked out of Declan's room with the others in tow. "Is there anything I can do to help get us ready? We can take my car, it probably gets better gas mileage than yours does. I just filled up on gas, too - paid almost 60 cents a gallon, if you can believe it! It was forty cents just a few years ago!"

Carly smiled. She loved her son but she was looking forward to spending some time with just Reed. They hadn't been together for a log time and they needed to makeup for that lost time. "I love it as well, it's up for sale but I can't afford it. I would have put an offer in otherwise. I just hope they still let us rent it, I take Declan there for the summer. He loves it." She said smiling "It's not that far, just about an hour away. Since you don't have that many clothes we can drop Declan off at my mum's house and then head to the shopping center there, it's really nice plus I want to get a few thugs for myself.." She said biting her lip as a little smile came to her face. She wanted to go to Victoria secret to buy some lingerie, she had stopped buying really nice lingerie because no one would see it but now that Reed was back she wanted to do something that would please him. "Erm if you want you could watch Declan and give him some dinner while I pack his bags, it's only a few things that still need to be packed." She said and pecked his lips "Yeah a lot of things have gone up these past few years." She said as she got out some of Declan's little clothes. She smiled at Reed "So I say we drop Declan off, go shopping and then drive the first two hours, stop in a B&B or a motel for the night or something and then head the rest of the way to the beach house? I'm meant to be going tomorrow anyway." She said, her mind going back to memories of the beach house. They had gotten married there on the beach and the reception was held at the house and on the beach. She loves that place, she just wished that she could buy it herself. It was perfect and so many good memories. 

 

Louis smiled and dug Into his food. She was right, it was good. It had been that long since had come to this diner that he had forgotten how nice it was. He smiles softly at her "A movie at the drive in sounds great, what about coming here again for dinner and then go? It will be like our first date all over again." He said grinning at her as he finished off his food. He looked from Gemma to Molly and he could say that for the first time In over three years he truly felt happy. He had his wife and a daughter and he was healthy again and he couldn't have been happier "I missed you a lot gem, if it wasn't for me wanting to get back to you I don't think I would have made it." He said kissing her hand. 

Gemma nodded, "That sounds great! I'm excited now. This is one of the only times I wish that time would fly by," she said, looking forward to their night alone. It has been such a long time since she'd spent the night with a man. When she was recovering from his supposed death, she spent a lot of time at her best friends' house, considering she was alone, pregnant, and scared to death that she wasn't going to be able to support her child. Now, she would have the opportunity to roll over and look at him every morning, just like old times. It was definitely something that she was looking forward to. A good half hour passed and they were all finished eating dinner - well, with the exception of Molly. She pulled some wipes out of her purse and proceeded to clean her daughter's face of spaghetti sauce and noodles that had decided to stick to her skin. "You can dress 'em up, you just can't take them anywhere," she joked, looking over at Louis. She loved seeing the newfound sparkle in his eyes. He'd only known Molly for a matter of hours and she could already tell that he cared for her. Of course, she didn't expect anything else, but it was still nice to see. "Do you want to get out of here?" she asked, "I'm absolutely exhausted, and I know Molly's always willing to go back to bed. I think she gets that much from me. Maybe she'll go through her 'toddler with oodles of energy' phase in her teen years, that should be fun." She payed the bill when the waitress came back over and took one final sip of her drink. She smiled, picking up Molly, who had already started to look a bit drowsy, and exited the diner with Louis in tow.

 

Reed grinned, "I'd love to spend some more time with the little guy before he's gone again," he said before returning her kiss with a more passionate one. "And the plan sounds excellent, I'm looking forward to it." He shifted Declan to his other hip and said, "Let's go get some chow, shall we? Wave bye to mommy!" He held up Declan's hand and they waved together before exiting the room. They went into the kitchen and Reed sat Declan down in his designated chair at the end of the dining room table. He dug through the fridge and found some strawberry yogurt and some Ritz crackers, a snack that used to be his favorite and he knew Declan would be able to eat. He grabbed some spoons and filled a sippy cup with some diluted apple juice for Declan to drink before he joined his son at the table. He watched as Declan smashed some of the Ritz crackers all over the table, but he knew that it was fun for him and as long as he ate at least some of them he was fine. They were wrapping up their meal when Carly came out into the hall with her bags in tow. "Ready to go?" he called out over his shoulder, "We were just finishing up. This boy can definitely put away the yogurt," he joked, laughing loudly and causing Declan to giggle. He rose from his seat, cleaned up the mess that they'd made and grabbed Declan in his arms. "Let's head out," he said as they began walking towards Carly's car. The sun was beginning to set, and he could tell that Declan was starting to get a bit tired from the day's activities. It had definitely taken a toll on him, meeting his dad for the first time. 

Carly smiled and kissed him back just as passionately, loving the feel of his lips on hers again. She giggled as he talked to Declan, she loved that they were getting on so well and she had missed hearing the random words that her husband would come out with like chow. She waved and then began to pack a week worth of clothes for Declan. Once she had finished packing for Declan she went and packed the last few things of her own that she needed. She changed out of her work clothes and chanegd into http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/… She let her hair down and took off her makeup, applying a new, lighter layer. She grabbed her and Declan's bags before she walked down stairs. She smiled at them both and nods ''Yeah i'm ready to go.'' she said, laughing softly as Reed and Declan laughed. It was a beautiful sight, seeing them both together. Carly nods and grabbed her keys before she walked outside with them both. She locked the door and headed over to the car and unlocked it before she placed the bags in the back. She smiled and kissed Reed's cheek ''I love you.'' she said softly and kisses his cheek before she got in and started the car. She couldn't wait to spend some time alone with her husband. Words could not describe how much she loved Reed and it made her so happy to know that he was back in her life and he was here to stay.

 

Louis smiled softly and kissed her cheek ''Not long lovely, it will be well worth the wait baby.'' he said and kissed her cheek softly. He chuckled as he watched Gemma clean Molly's face ''She still looks completely adorable with spaghetti on her face.'' he said and kissed molly's head. ''Yeah let's go, I'm looking forward to waking up next to my gorgeous wife in the morning.'' he said and stood up. He shook his head when she paid the bill ''Nope Gemma, nope. I want to treat my wife and daughter, you won't pay for a thing.'' he said and gave the money to the waitress and got the money back. He smiled and gave it to Gemma before he took her hand and led her out of the diner, molly also in his arms. He put molly in the car and then opened Gemma's door for her before he got into the car himself. 

Gemma laughed lightly. "She sure does look adorable, just not clean, by any means," she joked. When he offered to pay for their meal, she was slightly surprised, but glad to find that he was acting like a true gentleman. She made the short drive back to her house and unloaded everyone out of her car. She noticed that Molly was already asleep in her car seat, so she unbuckled her and carried her inside the house, putting her to bed while telling Louis that they would have to be pretty quiet for the rest of the evening. "She's the lightest sleeper I've ever met, even worse than me. I don't know how she does it, considering she's so exhausted all the time," she told him as they exited Molly's bedroom. She stood out in the hallway with Louis and locked her hands in hers, pulling him down the hall and into their bedroom. "I need to get a shower first and then I'm ready for bed," she whispered in his ear before flashing him a wicked grin. She grabbed some skimpy pajamas out of her dresser drawer and darted for the bathroom, determined to make this the quickest shower of her life. Once she was done, she changed into her new clothes and pulled her damp hair up into a messy bun, which was how she usually slept. When she woke up, it always gave her the signature wavy look that she'd been rocking for years. She went back into the bedroom and found Louis sitting on the bed patiently. "Now, where were we?" she asked playfully.

 

Reed rode in the car with Carly and Declan to his in-law's house. He sat in the back with Declan, reading him a variety of books and playing with some toys that Carly kept in a bin for him. They didn't hold much of a conversation in the car because he was busy occupying Declan, who was getting a kick out of him using voices for the different characters in the Dr. Seuss books. He exchanged glances with Carly in the rear view mirror every once in a while, even flashing her cheeky grins and a few winks. He was beyond excited to be headed to the beach house where they were staying when they exchanged their wedding vows. He absolutely adored listening to Carly talk about how much she loved the sounds of the crashing waves, what the salty air did to her hair, and how badly she wanted to just lounge around all day without a worry in the world. When they arrived at her parents' house, he helped everyone out of the car and latched onto Declan's hand, escorting them up to the front door. They knocked and rang the doorbell before Mr. and Mrs. James opened the door. Their faces lit up when they first saw Reed. Her mother's hands flew to cover her mouth as her eyes welled with tears, and Mr. James made an audible gasp. "Hello, nice to see you all again!" he exclaimed, looking down and noticing the wide grin on Declan's face. "I take it he loves visiting his grandparents, huh?" he said, a wide smile growing on his own face.

Carly smiled as she drove. She loved listening to Reed read to Declan, she always knew that he would have been a good father but actually seeing it happen made her incredibly happy. She smiled as she pulled up outside her parents house and got out with Reed and Declan. She grabbed Declan's bags from the boot and walked up to the door with her son and her husband. She couldn't help but grin when her parents opened the door, she had tears falling down her cheeks again as she saw how happy her parents were for her. Her parents had always gotten on well with Reed and they had been just as sad as she was when they found out he had been killed. She scooped Declan up into her arms and held him on her hip. She smiled up at Reed and nods her head ''Yeah he does, they have helped me a lot with looking after him. He likes your parents as well, I take him to see them a good few times a month.'' she said smiling. She looked back at her parents and smiled ''Me and Reed are going to spend the week at the beach house where we married, I will explain everything when we get back next week but I need to spend some time with my husband.'' she said smiling at them as they both nodded happily and pulled her into a hug. She looked down at Declan and kissed his head ''I love you baby, mummy will be back soon ok? Say bye to daddy,'' she said, grinning as she handed him over to Reed. 

 

Louis smiled and walked into Molly's bedroom with Gemma. He smiled and just watched how beautiful his daughter was when she slept. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, apart from molly's mother of course. He walked into there bedroom and took a seat while she showered. He took off his top and jeans so he was just in his boxers and sat back on the bed,`waiting for her to come out. His eyes widened when he saw her. He forgot how gorgeous she looked. He smiled and stood up ''Hmm I don't know, maybe here?'' he said as he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her into his chest. He cups her cheeks in his hands and kissed her passionately, putting all of his love and passion in to it. ''I love you so much Gemma.'' he whispers softly, storking her cheek softly as he looked into her eyes. 

Gemma felt like she was on cloud nine, being back in Louis' arms again. She nodded when he suggested where they pick up, wrapping her arms around her neck. She returned all of his kisses with equal enthusiasm and took a step closer to him, her chest resting against his. With a quick shift of her weight, she pushed him backwards and they stumbled onto the bed. They paused for a moment to let out a mutual chuckle. It was moments like these that she had truly missed. She had definitely missed being able to joke around him like a pair of love-drunk teenagers. "I love you too, Louis," she breathed, her fingers messing with the hair at the nape of his neck. She took a second to pull back and gaze into his eyes as time seemed to slow to a halt. "We have three years of time to make up for, you know that?" She smiled and gave him one last peck on the lips before rolling over onto her back to lay beside him. She turned her head to look at him, noticing how he continued to look up at the ceiling. She sat still for a few moments before scooting a bit closer to him and propping herself up on one elbow. She planted a trail of butterfly kisses down his neck and onto his chest. "What's on your mind?" she whispered, noticing that his heart appeared to be racing as his chest heaved up and down. "Surprised to see that your hot wife gives a new definition to 'beauty comes with age'?" When he didn't reply, she began to nibble at his ear lobe, hoping to catch his attention.

 

Reed grinned, glad to hear that Declan enjoyed spending time with all of his grandparents. He knew that his parents were absolutely ecstatic when he told them that he was getting married - it was their only chance to have any grandchildren, since Reed was an only child. He was glad that they were still able to be in contact with Declan and Carly during his absence. He took Declan into his arms when he was passed over from Carly and said, "Give me a big bear hug! Come on, I know you can do it!" The two shared an embrace before he sat Declan back down, who ran inside and began looking around in complete awe like he'd never been there before. "Thank you for taking care of my son, sir," he said to Mr. James, extending his arm out for a firm handshake. Mrs. James took a step towards him and gave him a hug and peck on the cheek. "I'm glad to see both of you, I truly am," he said to her before pulling back. "I'll explain everything to you when we come to pick up Declan. For right now, I need to get my mind off of everything and spend some time with my gorgeous wife." They all said their goodbyes before he and Carly headed back to her car, climbing inside to drive to the shopping mall. He reached over with his hand and took a hold of hers as she drove. "This is crazy," he said as they waited at a red light, "I can't get over all of this. I have a wonderful son now and a wife more beautiful than I ever remembered. Obviously, I was absent for a few years but I feel like I'm walking right back into my old life, with a few positive changes, of course. I couldn't be happier." He grinned and helped her out of the car when they finally arrived at the shopping mall. "Do you want to go do some shopping of your own while I go pick up a few things?" 

Carly smiled and hugged both of her parents, telling them that she would call when they  arrived at the beach house. She walked to the car with Reed and got in. Being with him she felt like she had fallen in love with him all over again. She held his hand as she drove and smiled softly ''It is crazy but I wouldn't change it for the world. You're not dead. You have no idea how happy I am Reed, not being you was like hell it hurt just to wake up in a morning and know you weren't there but you're here and I get to wake up next to you everyday now and it's going to be perfect.'' she said as she pulled into the car park of the shopping center. ''I'm glad you get to be here to see your son grow up and to be here for me, we can have the future together that we always wanted.'' she said grinning at him as she got out of the car. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a soft but passionate kiss on the lips ''Yeah that sounds good to me, I have a few things I need to pick up now that I have my husband back..'' she said, looking up at him. ''How about we meet outside of the restaurant you use to take me to all the time when we came here in an hour? I think I can get everything I need by then.'' she said and took his hand and walked into the shopping center. She kissed his cheek and smiled ''I will see you soon.'' she said before she walked on ahead of him, putting a little extra sway into her walk as she headed straight to Victoria secret. 

 

Louis kisses her softly and sighed a little when she rolled onto her back and laid next to him. He looked up at the ceiling and thoughts of Gemma and other men swam into his head. He wanted to know if she had been replaced, if he really wanted to be with him. With him being away for so long he felt like she might have given up on him and that scared him. He didn't want to lose her, not to anyone. ''Were you with anyone else while I was gone? I don't want to lose you to some better man.'' he said sighing as he turned on his side, facing away from him. He didn't want to show his weakness to her. 

 

Sorry Louis bit is short I have to come off of my laptop I will write more for my next post on my phone c:

Gemma frowned when he rolled over. "Of course not," she said honestly, tracing small circles on his back with her fingertips. She felt a shiver go up his spine and let out a quiet giggle. "I know I've told you this time and time again, but you're the best man for me. Now that Molly is in the picture, I know you'll be a better husband than ever, if that's even possible." He made no attempt to roll back over and she got slightly discouraged. "I hope you really aren't worried about me being with other men, Lou. I spent most of Molly's first year curled up in a fetal position on the couch. I barely even talked to my own family, let alone went out with my friends - heaven forbid another man." She let out a sigh, "I guess it's only fair to ask the same of you, then. Were you ever with another woman while you were on your search for me?" she asked, hoping to make it sound like it wasn't a big deal, but she slowly grew curious of what his answer would be. That caught his interest, got him moving. "Aha, so it's okay for you to ask but not for me. I see how it is," she pouted, laying back down on her back. "I waited three years for you to come back. Louis. The fact that you even considered the idea that I could have been with another man makes me wonder why you question my love for you. Do I have to prove it to you?"

 

Reed smiled and gave her a quick peck on the lips. "Sounds great, babe. I'll meet you there in an hour," he told her. And with that, they went their separate ways. He went to one of the department stores on the end of the mall and bought some outfits for the beach, including a few pairs of swimming trunks. Once he was finished shopping, he checked the time on the clock in the center of the mall and found that he had more time than he thought. He passed a jewelry counter and an idea popped into his head - he knew Carly loved jewelry, and what better way to commemorate the revival of their marriage than with a ring? He stopped in and asked the clerk if he could get a ring engraved on the spot, and the answer was yes. Perfect! He picked out a beautiful silver band and asked the clerk to engrave the ring with Declan's full name and birth date, which Carly had told him in the car. He waited the few minutes for the changes to be made to the ring, including a resize, and then collected the item. He hid it in one of his clothing bags and planned to give it to her one of the nights that they were at the beach. He then made his way over to the small restaurant that they used to eat at. He went in and was going to make a reservation for two, but looked right in and saw Carly already in a seat. He smiled and made her way over to her, taking a seat. "Sorry, there was a malfunction with the register," he lied, sitting his bag down beside their table. "How did your shopping adventure go?"

Carly  smiled as she walked into the lingerie store. She wanted to buy some nice things, some things that he would like on her. They never got to have a honeymoon with him having to go back overseas. Now could be a belated honeymoon for them. She selected about six items, some for night time and some she could wear anytime. She remembered what he use to like so she used that knowledge to help her chose. She paid for her items and then checked the time, she had plenty of time left to shop. She left she shop and wandered around for a while, stopping in a few shops. She got a few bikinis that she could wear for there days on the beach and some new sandals. As she walked around she was thinking of something that she could buy for a present, something to show him just how much she loved him. She walked into a jewellery store and asked if she could get something engraved quickly. When the lady told her yes she asked for a dog tag necklace to be Engraved with Declan's name and date of birth and then on the other side of it her name and the date they were married. She knew he liked things like this because his ones from the army and he was still wearing them now so she thought it would be nice to have a more personal piece. She walked to the small restaurant and sat down, smiling as she waited for him to come. She smiles warmly "No need to be sorry handsome. It was good thank you, I got myself some things.. Some you might like and also I got you a present. I will give that to you another time though." She said as she began to look at the menu. Carly knew what she would have, she had the same thing every time. 

 

Louis sighed and sat up so he was facing her after a while. "I'm sorry Gemma.. It's just there is something I didn't tell you. You know I said I almost most my legs? Well I have.. Well all below the knew anyway. I didn't want to tell you that because I didn't want you to think less of me.. It's something I'm very insecure about and that's one of the many reasons why it took me so long to come back to you. They thought everything was fine so I learnt to walk again but my legs were infected and could have caused great harm to the rest of my body so they had to amputate so my legs... There fake. I can't do as much as I use to because of them, I'm not as strong. I just don't want you to leave for a more able bodied man. I haven't been with another woman Gemma and I never will be. I love you and I'm sorry I didn't tell you everything right away." 

 

Fun fact, VS didn't open until the late '70s. Not sure if it's entirely accurate for this rp, just thought I'd put that out there haha

---

Gemma's jaw dropped as Louis explained all the details about how he lost half of his legs. She was amazed that he was able to mask it all so well. "I never would have guessed!" she exclaimed, sitting upright. Her gaze instantly dropped to his bare legs, where she found his prosthetic limbs were found. "I didn't notice before! Oh, my God!" she said, still not sure what to think of all of it. "You got around fine, how could I have not noticed this yet?" She was absolutely dumbfounded that she hadn't discovered any of this earlier, since it was such a big deal to most people. "You don't need to apologize for anything, Lou. I'm sorry I kept bugging you, I realize now that I should have just kept my mouth shut." She was really surprised that he didn't tell her this before, since she was bound to find out as soon as he slid off his pants or switched into a pair of shorts. "Well, even though there's physically less of you for me to love, I guess that's all the more reason for me to love everything else about you," she said optimistically, trying to look on the bright side of all of this. This was pretty much a guarantee that he would never be deployed overseas again - which was excellent; it meant that she wouldn't ever have to lose him again. She knew that he would probably be upset about not getting to see any of his fellow soldiers in combat again, but right now, his health was their top priority. "Come here," she whispered, rolling him over and going in for another round of kisses.

 

Reed glanced over the menu and his eyes widened when Carly brought up that she had bought him a gift. "Well that's excellent, considering I got you one as well," he told her, flashing her a wicked grin and giving her a wink. He decided to order a dish that he didn't recall was offered before his disappearance - lobster ravioli. He placed his order when the waiter came over, and then he took a sip of his drink. The waiter asked if they would be having any wine for the evening, and he wanted badly to say yes, but he knew what it did to him. He had a tendency to drink a little too much, which he was worried would trigger another PTSD episode. Carly didn't seem to support his reasoning when he turned the wine away, but he told her he would explain later. He reached across the table and took her hands in his. "I want to hear all about how Declan was born. How did you tell my parents? Were they in the room with you when he was born?" He had so many questions and felt like he didn't have enough time to ask them all. A few minutes later, their food arrived and they dug in eagerly. He was quite happy that he had his wife all to himself. He was sure that the road ahead wouldn't exactly be full of many of these moments, so he planned to cherish them while he could.

I did not know that haha 

 

Carly smiled happily "Ohh well I can't wait to see what it is. I hope your going to like what I got you." She said grinning a little. Cary was about to say yes to some wine but Reed had already said no. She was a little bit confused as to why but she decided not to push him. She took his hand in hers and smiled softly. "Well Declan was born in the hospital where I was born. I told your parents the day that I found out you were dead.. Well obviously not anymore but anyway they were coming over to see me anyway and they didn't know yet. I was sat in the living room, sobbing my heart out with the test next to me and I didn't answer the door when they came so they thought something must be wrong since I knew that they were coming. They came in and I told them what I had just found out and they saw the rest and that's pretty much how I found out. It's a sad way for them to find out but they couldn't have been more supportive. They knew it would have been what you would have wanted. Yeah, they were in the room when he was born. I was actually with your mother when my water broke, we were out buying some things for Declan and he came early. Your mum got me straight to the hospital and she stayed with me the whole time. Your family is amazing Reed, they could have easily turned there backs on me when you were meant to be dead but they didn't. They treat me like there own and I feel like I have another mum and dad. That reminds me, me and your sister are really really close now, we no longer hate each other. She's actually my best friend and I need her to stop trying to set me up with different men because I have my amazing husband  again." She said smiling as she began to eat her food. It had been so long since she had been here that she forgot how nice it was. She smiled "I can't wait for this week, I get you all to myself before we go back to everyone and how to explain everything. I do have to ask you something though, are you planning on going back into the army?" She asks, looking up at him. 

 

Louis looked at her and smiled softly. He was actually shocked at how well she was taking this. He thought she might freak out, it's not exactly normal. He pulled her to him and held her tightly, burying his head in her hair "I love you so much Gemma, you don't realise what an amazing woman you are." He whispers and kisses her nose. He smiled "The fact that you think that way Gem makes me love you even more if that's even physically possible." He whispers before he kisses her lovingly. He was sad to not be able to go back and do what he loved doing, protecting the people of his country but he knew it was best for him to be here. He had a wife and a beautiful daughter  and he would honestly not change that for the world because he loved them both with all his heart. Louis planned on getting himself into even better shape so he could walk better and wouldn't be in any pain and then he was going to get a good, well paid job so he could support his family. He didn't want Gemma to have to do things on her own anymore, he wanted her to know that he would do what ever he can to provide with him. He was very happy to be back with his wife. He pulled her close and kisses her passionetly.

Gemma smiled as she gave him a peck on the cheek. "I love you too, and thank you for showering me with compliments," she said with a small giggle. "I'm so proud of you for how far you've come and I know that it will only go uphill from here." She let out a yawn, finally realizing how absolutely exhausted she was from the day's events. She gave him a quick kiss on the forehead before she got up from the bed and flicked off the lights. She walked back and climbed into the bed, scooting closer to him. "Come here," she told him, "scoot closer. I've gone three years without being able to snuggle up against you and I'm not going to waste another minute getting back to how this all used to be." She cuddled against his body, her breathing rate slowing down as she felt the heat of his body radiate against hers. She let out a content sigh as his head nuzzled into the crook of her neck, just like she'd done to him so many times before. "Goodnight, Louis," she whispered into his ear, "sleep tight. I can't wait to see you in the morning." It wasn't long before she drifted off into a deep slumber. This was the first time in over a year that she wasn't bombarded with nightmares as soon as she found herself unconscious. Instead, she found herself dreaming of the day that she married Louis. They'd exchanged vows in a quaint little cathedral in his home town and a small ceremony followed. She recalled twirling around in her wedding dress, much more beautiful than she had ever remembered. All of the lovely moments came flooding back into her memory after she had pushed them out for so long, afraid to feel the pain that accompanied them.

 

Reed listened to Carly as she talked about Declan's birth and how they had become so close to his side of the family. He was eternally grateful that despite all that had happened, his family still agreed to stick by Carly's side and help her through both thick and thin. He was especially glad to hear that she had made amends with his sister Rhianne. The two were very different from each other and always knew how to push each other's buttons, but he was happy to learn that they were working out their differences. "I'll have to swing by her house sometime and tell her to let it go," he said with a laugh, "I'm sure she'll get the message that you don't need another man when I show up at her front door." When she asked about whether or not he would be going back into the army, he found himself frowning instantly. He wasn't quite ready to discuss his views yet, but he knew that the topic was inevitable. It was only a matter of time before others around him got curious. He'd just been through a traumatic accident, for crying out loud. "I'm not going to rule out that possibility quite yet," he began, "but things aren't looking good right now. I've technically spent too much time in a rehabilitation facility that I'm a liability to the government if they were to put me in charge of any operations. I wouldn't be able to go back out on to the front lines again, considering my newfound medical conditions, and the only other thing I could do would be to lead a group of my own. Considering the probability that I will have..." he trailed off for a moment as he tried to collect his thoughts. He cleared his throat before he spoke again. "...another PTSD episode, it's not right for me to march in there and ask to be put in charge when there's the chance that I'm not responsible enough to look after myself in such situations, let alone others."

Carly smiled "Yeah I'm sure she will. I'm glad we get on now though, she helped me a lot these past few years and Declan loves her to bits." She said, biting her lip. Carly reached out and took his hand in hers and held it, stroking the top of his hands softly as she listened to him. "PTSD.." She whispers. She had heard a lot about it as she had started looking into medical research to help soldiers once she thought that Reed had passed away and she knew all about but she had never experienced it. She knew that it was a very terrible experience though and it made her sad to know that her husband had been through that and she hadn't been there to help or support him. A tear fell down her cheek "I'm sorry I wasn't there to help and support you Reed. I should have tried harder to find you." She said as she looked down at her shoes "I'm not going to tell you what to do but just please promise me you won't put yourself in a position where I could lose you again. I got lucky this time with not losing you but next time we might not be so lucky and I don't know what I would do if I lost you for real." She said and stood up, walking around to him. She sat on his lap and held him tightly "You can talk about it to me you know, what happened to you I'm here for you through everything Reed." She whispers and kisses his lips softly, stroking his cheek.

 

Louis smiled and kisses her cheek "Your welcome, that's what a husband is meant to do." He whispers as he pulled her closer into his arms. "I'm just glad I get to be home with you again, words can't even describe how much I missed you Gemma." He said softly and stormed her cheek. He chuckled and moved closer to her and wrapped his arms tightly around her and held her close "It has been so long." He said softly, sighing a little. "Goodnight gorgeous, I can't wait to wake up to your beautiful face for the first time in a long long time." He said and gave her a soft kiss before he fell off into the first peaceful sleep he had had in a long time. He kept having nightmares about the accident and they scare him that much that there was times when he didn't sleep for days. His dreams were filled with happiness and Gemma. He couldn't be happier now. He had his family. 

We need to mix this up a little bit, I think. We need some surprises.

---

Gemma rolled over the next morning and stretched her arms out toward the ceiling. At some point during the night, she'd wriggled out of Louis' grasp and was bundled up in most of the bed sheets, including a majority of the comforter. She hoped that Louis wasn't freezing cold! She carefully swung her legs over the side of the bed and got up, rubbing her eyes with her fists in an attempt to wake herself up a bit more. It wasn't long before she noticed a noise coming from down the hall - Molly must have been awake. She adjusted her top before she walked down the hallway and slowly entered Molly's bedroom. A smile grew on her face when she noticed her daughter playing with her favorite dolls all by herself in her room, which wasn't typical. Usually, the second that Molly woke up, she would bolt down the hall and fly into her mother's bedroom to wake her up, even if it was entirely too early and the sun hadn't come up yet. "Good morning, sunshine!" Gemma said quietly, hoping not to scare her. She grinned when Molly turned around and came running over to her, jumping up in need of a tight bear hug, dolls still in hand. "Let's go fix some breakfast for daddy," she told Molly, carrying her as they walked out of the room and into the kitchen. Gemma sat Molly down in her designated chair at the table and let her resume brushing her dolls' hair. She went over to the kitchen and pulled out a few ingredients to make a breakfast feast. "Hopefully I can make something worth eating this time," she said jokingly, eliciting a short giggle from Molly that made her laugh, too. 

 

Reed sat in silence as he listened to Carly speak. He shook his head. "It's not your fault at all, Carly," he said, referring to how she felt bad about not looking hard enough for him. "All that matters is that I'm here now, with you and Declan and our amazing family, and no one is going to take that away from us again." He showed her a reassuring smile, hoping to stop her tears. "I won't let us get separated again, I promise. I know I couldn't deal with that, and neither could you. I can talk to you more about everything later, now's not really the time. I haven't really had a moment to sit down and collect my thoughts, get all of my facts straight. Trust me, I'll tell you about it all in due time. Right now, the most important thing is that I catch up on all that I've missed, that's the only thing I'm focused on." He ate a few bites of his ravioli and took a sip of his drink. He returned her kiss before he decided to change the subject. "How long will it be before Declan starts school? I don't know what the age is around here, but I think he still has a little while yet. Tell me more about the little guy - does he have a fascination with music? Has he been able to kick a soccer ball like a pro since the moment you let him near one?" He let out a laugh, eager to hear more about his son. He knew that throughout all of this, Declan would definitely be the one to keep him grounded, keep him focused on being the best husband, father, and overall person that he could be.