//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 // Story: Living on a Prayer // by P-Berry //------------------------------// "Wakey wakey, sleepyhead." The teasing voice of Autumn Leaf was the first thing that came to my ears, even before I opened my eyes. A shock came over me as I opened them and realized that I was not laying on the spa's massage table anymore. I was in a car; Autumn Leaf's car, most likely. We were driving through some urban area at a moderate speed. Slowly, I turned my head to the side, spotting my friend sitting on the drivers' seat and giving me a grin. "Slept well?" he asked with a light chuckle. "What the..." I gasped, rubbing a hand against my aching head, "Where are we?" "On the way to your wedding." Autum replied slightly amused, "What did you expect? Waking up in a hospital bed?" As I just gave him an annoyed glare, he laughed, "Okay, I'll admit, we were thinking about getting you to the ER, but then you woke up." "I did?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. My friend nodded confirmingly. "Ayep. How did you think we got you in here ... and in that?" He said, pointing at me. Surprised, I lowered my glance, my look falling onto my body. My eyes widened. I was wearing my wedding suit. And it was immaculately clean. "What?" I gasped, "How...?" "See it as an early wedding gift." Autumn explained with a wink, "I got the tear taken care of and got it cleaned - now you're ready to marry." "But I was in the spa for not even an hour." I exclaimed, "How did you even...?" "I have my contacts." He said with a complacent grin. "Happy wedding day." "But ... how did you get it on me? I was only dressed in a towel!" I asked, then felt my face turn red, "Did you-" "Nope." He quickly said with a shake of his head, "You woke up a few minutes ago. You were talking jumbles and could barely stand on your two legs, but we managed to get you to put your suit on and sit down in my car. Aloe said the effects should wear off shortly, so I decided to not take you to the hospital just yet and instead wait. And as it turns out..." he added with a grin, "I was right." "Oh god..." I sighed, lowering my head, "So ... I guess now we're on our way to-" "The church? Yeah." Autumn replied with a nod, checking his watch, "The ceremony is scheduled to begin in half an hour, so better get ready." Rubbing my eyes and looking out the window, I took in a deep breath. "Yeah. Guess ... guess you're right." "Feeling any better?" He asked with an encouraging smile. I hesitated for a moment, recalling my most recent dream, and what dream-Roseluck had told me, but then nodded. "Yeah." I said weakly, looking up and folding out the sun visor, giving myself a look-over in the integrated mirror. I actually looked better as well. True, the dark rings around my eyes were still there, and probably wouldn't vanish anytime soon, but my face looked a lot less worn and stressed-out than before - I could barely even see the small wound Autum's spray can-attack had left behind. "Yeah, I actually am." I added, feeling a weak smile form on my face. "So Aloe's special treatment was successful after all?" Autumn inquired, grinning, "I knew I could trust her. Tough I really don't know what she was thinking, making you pass out halfway through." I cocked an eyebrow, "Yeah, what was that, anyway?" "No idea." my friend said with a shrug, "She told me it was some new sort of technique to literally force somebody to relax - sort of a simplified version of that neck pinch-thing they always bring in old spy-movies." "Are you serious?" I asked him with a disbelieving glare, "And she tried it on me - just like that?" "Hey, it helped, didn't it?" Autumn asked with a grin, "You said you feel better - and you sure look better." "Yeah, but..." I wanted to protest, but cut myself off, "ugh..." "Besides, you got the treatment for free since she made you pass out, so that's something, right?" "Yeah..." I muttered absentmindedly, "Yeah, I guess you're right." I could feel a smile cross my face, remembering that I was indeed feeling way better than when we had come to the spa. "Thank her for me, will you?" "Will do." my friend affirmed with a nod. A moment of silence passed, which I spent looking out my window and watching the scenery pass by - a sight that felt strangely soothing for my strained mind. "So..." Autumn started over after some time, "Anything else on your mind? Any last words?" I hesitated for a moment, but then shook my head. "No. ... No, I guess not. I'm still half-expecting her to make some dreadful confession once we get a chance to talk, but hey..." I said with a forced chuckle and a shrug, "Nothing I can do about it now, right?" "Yeah, well, about that..." Autumn began, grinning, "There's something else you should know." And suddenly my heart rate was back at 180 again. "What!?" I gasped, my head shooting towards him, "What do you mean?" He gave me a sly grin, keeping a meaningful silence for a moment. "You know that I'm the best best friend you could have hoped for, right?" "What?" I asked, slightly annoyed, "What's your point?" "Just say it." he said teasingly. "Fine." I sighed, rolling my eyes, "You're the best best friend I could have hoped for, and I can consider myself lucky for being able to bask in your glory every time we meet." I finished, giving him a serious look, "There. You happy now?" "Yup." Autumn said smugly. "Now, what I was supposed to tell you..." he paused for effect, taking in a breath, "I called Roseluck again while you were with Aloe, and she told me what it was she wanted to tell you." "You did!?" I asked unbelievingly, "Really?" "Ayep." Autumn replied curtly. "So?" I asked, my heart in my mouth, "What was it?" "Afraid I can't tell you." "What!?" I shouted back, "Are you frickin' kidding me!?" "Nope." The answer was just as brief as it was sober. "She told me what she wanted to tell you, but I had to promise that I won't tell you before her." "You're kidding. You're kidding, right?" I asked, shaking my head. "Nope." Autumn repeated himself, "She insisted on telling you herself because it's so important to her - which, in my opinion, is the right decision." "Oh." I replied dryly, "Great. That's ... that's just great." "But chin up!" Autumn said, "I've heard it, and I can comfort you: she doesn't want to blow the wedding off. And she still loves you with all her heart. That's good, right?" "B-but what was it then?" I asked, feeling relieved but tensed at the same time. Autumn Leaf shook his head, leading his hand to his mouth and making the classical zipper-movement. "Oh come on!" "Hey, I promised her I wouldn't tell you a thing." Autumn defended himself, "You can rest assured knowing that it's nothing that bad, but I can't tell you any more." I sighed, dropping my head and replying nothing. "Hey, come on." Autumn said, tapping my shoulder and cheering me up, "You'll find out in less than half an hour, and knowing you, I'm sure you'll be delighted." He explained with a wink. "If you say so..." I muttered, rolling my eyes, "Let's just get there as soon as possible. I'm sick of waiting." Only minutes later, I was standing in front of the solemnly decorated altar, my hands folded tightly in front of my belt buckle. And mother of god, I was sure I was only seconds away from a heart attack. When Autumn Leaf and me had arrived at the church, most of our friends and relatives had already been waiting for me. My friend had taken care of anybody asking where we had been all this time, talking about 'last minute preparations', and I had spent most of the time just standing by, looking fancy, and feeling like I was about to faint. Autumn, seeming to sense my tension, had merely given me another pat on the shoulder, and had assured me that I would indeed remember this day as the best of my whole life. And before I had known it, the ceremony had begun - our town's pastor -an old, gray-haired buck- had shown me where to stand once the time had come, I had taken a seat next to Autumn in the first row, the priest had given a short introductive speech, and moments later -way too soon, according to my pounding heart- I was kindly asked to come walking to the altar to seal the deal. Looking straightforward, so as to try and not direct my attention at the mass of people who were sitting in the pews and who had all come here for me -for me and Roseluck- I closed my eyes, and took in a deep breath; I could still hear my heart pound in my ears. "We are all here, gathered together, to witness the ceremonial unification of two souls..." the priest began his speech, and I took another deep breath, feeling my thoughts drift off. Thinking about how long I had been waiting for this day; how often I had dreamt of it; pictured it in my mind; how much I had gone through to stand here today ... and yet, I couldn't say that I was feeling genuinely happy - nervous, tense, but not happy. And I knew for sure that I could not allow myself to feel this sort of happiness until I had clarity - an answer to the question that would decide about everything today. "And now..." the priest's words interrupted my thoughts, making me look up and towards the churches entrance, and my heart beat a whole lot faster, "Let us welcome the bride." The guests sitting in the pews, who had been muttering and chattering until now suddenly all fell silent as they stood up, and I could feel myself shake from head to toe as I heard the churches main doors open and Richard Wagner's Bridal Chorus sounded through the small building. I drew in a sharp breath, feeling how my hands began to tremble. Then, slowly, I turned to the side to see my bride. My jaw dropped. Yes, I had thought that she was beautiful - the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. And I had never thought that she could be anymore beautiful than on the day I had proposed to her, but now... She was wearing a white wedding dress - plain, white, simple, yet suiting her just perfect and accentuating her body in just the right places. Her shoulder-length red hair was done in a magnificent braid that loosely hung down one side of her head and directed the attention towards her mouth with the thinnest of smiles on her face and her big, green eyes that were looking happy, gleeful even, but also ever so slightly nervous. And she was looking at me. Mother of god, she was looking at me. And just from that look on her face, I got a good idea of what was going on inside her. She was happy, so happy she seemed on the verge of tears, even, but at the same time, that thin smile on her face gave away that she was feeling nervous, and the fact that her eyes remained focussed on me all the while were a clear giveaway that whatever made her feel this nervous was somehow related to me. Time seemed to slow down as Roseluck slowly came walking down the aisle, accompanied by a light brown buck in a tuxedo by her side - her uncle, not her father. Her relationship with her father was ... complicated. He had left her when she was a kid, and despite her family urging her to do so, she had not wanted to invite him - a decision which her mother, despite being sad about the tense relationship between Roseluck and her father, had supported. The two stopped in front of the altar, her uncle gave her a short hug, then stepped aside, leaving Roseluck to walk forward and take her positoon in front of the alter opposite to me. "Hey." she mouthed over the still playing organ, still working on a genuinely happy smile. "Hi." I mouthed back, letting my look wander over her body - and promptly felt tears forming in my eyes. Here I was, about to marry the girl of my dreams. She was looking more beautiful than ever, and we were close to being bound together for the rest of our lives - and still, perhaps these were the last moments we would spend as a couple. Despite what Autumn Leaf had told me earlier, my mind started drawing up images of whatever it was Roseluck had been meaning to tell me, and the realization that the moment of truth was getting closer with every second that passed just made me want to break out in tears right there. She appeared to be fidgeting with her hands; her look was darting from the ground, to the ceiling, to my eyes, and back. My mouth was getting dry. The organ-play continued, and I could see Roseluck biting her lip, figthing with herself. Finally, she seemed to overcome herself, and I could feel a shiver running down my spine as she opened her mouth. "There's something I need to tell you." she said over the play of the organ, just loud enough for me to hear. I could feel my legs going weak and the desire to break out in tears rise up all over again, but did my best to keep up my composure, took in a deep breath, and finally forced out a muffled, "Okay. ... What is it?" She hesitated for another moment, but just as she had opened her mouth to tell me, the organ silenced abruptly, the whole church was hulled in dead silence, and she cut herself off in the nick of time, apparently not wanting the whole commiunity to hear what she was about to confess to me. Moments later, the priest's old, raspy voice filled the room, and sent another shiver down my spine, having heard these words so many times before, but now knowing that they were for me and my bride. "Dearly beloved, we are all gathered here today to celebrate the love and the bonding between two souls." He paused, looking first at Roseluck, then at me. "My dear friends, you have come together in this church so that the Lord may seal and strengthen your love in the presence of..." My mind drifted off as the lecture continued; my eyes remained focused on Roseluck, wondering now more than ever what she had been meaning to tell me. My mind was reeling, flooded with possibilities of what could, should and would happen once Roseluck had dropped the bomb. However, my thoughts came to a standstill as Roseluck once again opened her mouth, her eyes never leaving mine, and softly whispered, "I ... I ... I don't know how I'm supposed to say this..." "Just say it..." I whispered back, my voice a lot more tense than hers. My look went back to the priest for a second, noticing with relief that he hadn't noticed us two talking - his hearing didn't seem too good anymore. "Come on, I'm..." I forced out, trying hard not to let my own nervousness show, "I'm sure it ... it can't be that bad." "Okay..." she gasped, licking her lips nervously, hesitating again, then finally saying, "I ... I'm..." My heart stopped. "I'm..." she whispered, and I could see her body tensing up, "I'm ... pregnant." My world fell apart. I could feel my shoulders drop, legs going weak, and eyes glazing over. She was pregnant. She was ... pregnant! She was expecting a child. And since the two of us had never had sex, that had to mean... "Oh." I said dryly, now not even making an effort to keep my voice down. "Oh." A voice in my head repeated as my mind quickly counted two and two together and drew the inevitable conclusion - she had cheated on me. The priest gave me a stern look, but contined his lecture undeterred. She had cheated on me, and was now expecting the child of someone else. I could feel my mind getting flooded with new emotions - shock, disappointment, but most importantly frustration. "Why?" my mind asked the inevitable question. Why in the world would she sleep with someone else? And why would she tell me this whole story about waiting until she's married, just to leap onto the next best guy once I turned my back on her. And most importantly, why, why for the love of god had she waited until now to tell me!? If she could tell for certain that she was pregnant, this whole affair probably hadn't happened just yesterday, so why hadn't she told me sooner? Had she tried to hide it? Hoped to keep it a secret, but now had to confess since it had brought her more than just a bad conscience? Or did she get some sort of sick pleasure from making me look like an idiot in front of the whole community? I felt anger well up inside me as my eyes went back up to meet hers, and I could see the insecurity in them - surely, it had cost her a lot of overcoming to break these news to me, and it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that she was now nervously waiting to see how I would react. Well, what had she been expecting? I surely didn't jump for joy after finding out that she had betrayed me - in more ways than one. And of course, of all the unfitting things that could have happened, it was in this moment that the priest now ended his speech and turned towards me to receive my consent. "Do you take this woman here for your lawful wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?" he asked me the question that would decide not about one, but about two futures. I replied nothing. Really? He really was going to ask me this? Now of all moments? How? How could I do this? How could I ever love the girl who had betrayed me so shamelessly? Hell, how could I marry her!? The silence in the church dragged on, and I could feel the audience getting impatient - nervous, even. I was throwing a wrench in the gears of this well-planned ceremony, and I had it in my hand to end it all here and now. I hesitated again, drawing in a long breath. My look went to my bride, her eyes meeting mine, and I could see how nervousness turned into insecurity, insecurity into apprehension, and apprehension into fear. I managed to stand up to her look for a few seconds, anger and frustration dominating my mind, but then let my head sink, giving a soft sigh. I couldn't do it. I couldn't do this to her. I could tell how long she had been looking forward to this, and based on the look on her face, I knew all too well how she was feeling in this second. Heck, I had felt almost the same only an hour ago. But saying no now ... or saying anything other than yes, for that matter ... it would hurt her. It would damage her beyond repair. It would make her hate me; hate herself, maybe lose all faith in humanity altogether. She would be hurt, broken, and utterly devastated. And no matter what she may or may not have done; no matter what thoughts or emotions were going through my mind in this second, I couldn't stand seeing her like this. Not on what was supposed to be one of the best days of our lives, and not on any other day either. So I made probably the wisest, most farsighted and overall best decision of my whole life as I forced a smile onto my face, gave a short nod and said, "I do." With a satisfied nod of his head, the priest turned towards Roseluck, repeating what he had asked me earlier. I could see her tear up with tears of joy as she listened to the vow, and her voice was at the verge of breaking as she, without a second of hesitation, replied "I do." Absolute silence seemed to fill the hall, then I could hear steps as the witnesses, Autumn Leaf and Lily Valley, came walking up to the altar, carrying the two rings that would seal our marriage. Holding his hands over them, the priest closed his eyes, reciting some blessing words, then looked back at Roseluck and me, indicating that the time had come. Slowly, deliberately, I reached a shaking hand out for the ring destined for my bride. I didn't think. I didn't want to think. I didn't know what to think. What I did know was that I was about to do something that would change my life forever. And while the suspicion of Roseluck betraying me and even getting pregnant from it was still looming over my mind like a dark thundercloud, I did my best to not think about it and instead enjoy the moment. Because no matter what had happened or what would happen, the fact that the two of us were standing here and now was proof enough that we loved each other - and nothing else mattered in this moment. With these thoughts in mind, I looked Roseluck in the eyes, softly reached for her left hand with mine, led my right hand carrying the ring up to it, and with the most sincere smile I had ever had on my face, put it on her ring finger. Time itself seemed to stand still, and I could feel my heart skip a beat as I saw her eyes tear up and her lips begin to move. She didn't say anything. Giving even the smallest of noises would have been considered more than inappropriate to most of the people involved, so whispering was all she could do to let me know what was on her mind; whispering barely loud enough for me to hear, and nobody else. And what it was that she whispered was truly surprising - a rather simple information; banal even, but given the circumstances so gamechanging that it almost threw me off my feet. "You're the father." Each and every emotion slipped from my face and mind, and I felt almost numb as she now reached out for my hand and put my ring on it. She leaned a little closer towards me, though only close enough that the audience wouldn't notice, and raised her voice only high enough for me to hear. "It's three months now." Roseluck carefully explained, and the penny in my head finally dropped. Of course. Of fucking course. How? How in the world could I have ever forgotten that? It was a Friday night in early March. Spring had been slow in coming: the sky was hung with clouds, the temperatures were barely over the freezing point, and I was sure it was only a matter of time until the first flakes of snow would show up. And here I was, standing on a godforsaken field in the middle of nowhere, trying to set up a tent. My breath was forming clouds against the icy air, and despite my four layers of thick clothing, I could feel myself starting to shiver. Truly, I could think of a dozen, if not a hundred reasons why this was a bad idea, and still, I was here. "The things I do for my best friend..." I growled through my chattering teeth as I fought to drive one of the metal tent pegs into the still frozen ground with a ridiculously undersized wooden hammer. "He ows me." I said with a huff, raising my hand holding the hammer for a final strike that, I was sure, would either force the stubborn peg into the ground or break my hammer's handle. "He ows me big time." But just as I was about to launch into the devastating blow, I felt a hand on my shoulder, and hesitated. "Everything okay, dear?" I could hear Roseluck's soft voice come from behind me, and turned my head as she crouched down next to me. I replied with a sullen grunt, giving the peg a soft strike with the hammer instead, not wanting to let her notice my frustration. "Hey, don't be so grumpy." she said, rubbing my back. She could read me like a book. "I'm sure it'll be worth it in the end." "Yeah yeah..." I muttered, continuing my work on the tent peg with softer strokes, "I'm sure it'll be worth it if we don't die from exposure before midnight. Who even came up with the idea of camping when it's still half-winter? Just to watch a damn meteor shower?" "You've heard how important it is to your friend." she said consolidatingly, "So chin up, I'm sure it'll be good." she said with a genuinely happy smile. "Hrmph." I grunted back. Coming here had been a rather spontaneous decision - Autumn Leaf and Lemon Hearts had shown up at our doorstep earlier this day, informing us about an upcoming meteor shower and asking us if we wanted to join them to watch it under the open sky - in a tent, in the outskirts of town. My first instinct had been to give them a polite, but decisive refusal. Ever since being forced to join the boy scouts in my childhood, camping was among my least favorite things to do, and especially with the polar temperatures outside, I could easily think of a dozen better things to do. However, before I had been able to do so, Roseluck had shown up behind me and, arguning that it had been way too long since we had done something together, had accepted the proposal without hesitation. And here we were - only hours later, in the middle of nowhere. The fact that it was still practically winter hadn't seemed to bother anyone involved other than me, and even though the sky was covered in thick, black clouds and the chances of actually seeing any shooting stars were vanishingly low, everbody seemed to be positive about this whole thing. "Everything good?" I listened up as I heard Autumn Leaf's voice come from behind me, and turned my head. My friend was looking down at me crouching on the ground, his wife hooked into his arms, and had that smug grin on his face again. "Need a hand?" he asked me with a wink. I drew in a breath to comment on him offering me help without having set up his own tent first, but then my look fell on the neatly arranged and perfectly constructed two-person tent standing like a dream behind them, and I fell silent. "No." I finally said, giving a defeated sigh as I lowered the hammer, "No thanks, I'm good." "Are you sure?" Lemon Hearts asked, sounding slightly amused as she pointed at the crooked, half-buried peg in front of me, "I don't think that's how a tent peg is supposed to look." I let out a long sigh, rubbing my hands against each other, then against my shoulders. "You know what?" I asked after a moment of silence, picking up the hammer again and getting back to my feet. "You're right." I said, handing my best friend the toy-sized hammer, "You're clearly better at this than me. Be a good chum and fix it for me, will ya? I'll go get some coffee." I walked past him, towards my car standing a few yards away, but was stopped as Lemon Hearts turned after me and asked, "What's wrong? Aren't you excited?" With a dry chuckle, I shrugged. "Sure I am. Sleeping in a tent on a field and getting a healthy load of frostbite - that's my one and only treat, you know?" "Awesome!" Lemon Hearts cheered excitedly, either oblivious to or simply ignoring my sarcasm. Moments later, I was standing next to the passenger door of my car, enjoying the feeling of warmth the boiling hot coffee sent through my mouth, nostrils, all the way down into my stomach. I looked up as I heard steps coming closer, and prepared myself for a lecture on manners when I saw that it was Roseluck who was approaching me. "Hey." she said with a somewhat forced smile. "Hey." I replied, holding a second cup of steaming hot coffee up for her, "Want one too?" "Thanks." She said with an appreciative smile, and took the cup from my hands. A moment of silence passed, in which the two of us were just standing there, enjoying our hot beverages. Then my fiancée decided to break the silence as she lowered her coffee, looked at me and gave me another one of these heartwarming smiles only she could produce. "Come on." she said encouragingly, "I know you're not too happy with all this, but let's give this thing a chance, okay?" she proposed with a happiness of which I couldn't tell if it was forced or legit, "If Lemon and Autumn are this excited about it, there's got to be something to it, don't you think?" "Hrm." I replied curtly, taking another sip from my coffee, "I've known Autumn for a while now, and as much as I like him, he is quite naive. He's pretty easy to get excited about the most simple things." Roseluck gave a soft grunt, remaining silent for a moment. Then, however, a new idea seemed to cross her mind, and she turned to face me. "Okay, I know you don't want to do this, but I'm sure it'll be great." she reached out with her hand, grabbing mine and holding it in hers, "Just trust me, okay?" I looked up, fighting with myself, but couldn't stand saying no to that look in her eyes. That sweet, sweet look of hers that simply wouldn't allow no for an answer. So I ended up giving a defeated sigh and said, "Fine. You win." I paused, enjoying that look in her eyes, and feeling a smile form on my face as well. "If you're so sure about this, I'm sure it'll end up being a good experience." It wasn't. It really wasn't. Several hours later, I was laying curled-up in an old military sleeping bag that had the insulating properties of baking paper, trying to find sleep in the igloo we called our tent, and cursing myself, my friends, and this whole ass-cold world. The meteor shower, the reason why we had come out here in the first place, had turned out to be even more unspectacular than I had expected - the full moon hanging in the sky made it hard to see anything at all, and the thick layer of clouds covering up the majority of the sky, safe for a few clear spots, didn't make spotting the falling stars any easier. In the end, we had decided to call the spotting off a few hours earlier than expected due to a lack of success. Being chilled to the bones from the general cold and the ever-blowing wind around us, I had suggested we would strip down the tents and head back home, but had been stopped by Lemon Hearts who had argued that it wouldn't be a real camping trip without sleeping in tents. Autumn Leaf, not wanting to stab his wife in the back, had agreed, and Roseluck, not wanting to be a killjoy, had also cast her lot with them, leaving me as a freezing, grumpy, but ultimately outvoted party pooper. The wind had freshened up a few hours ago, bringing a light, but noticeable rain with it. The temperatures, not having been too high to begin with, had gone down noticeably, and I was sure I would find a thick layer of ice on our tent the next morning. That is, if I wouldn't have passed out from the cold before. Following the advice of my best friend who, by his own admission, had turned himself into an 'outdoor expert' by browsing various forums on the internet, I had taken off my thick winter clothing and thermal underwear and had slipped into my sleeping bag in my birthday suit. How exactly this was supposed to make me feel warmer I didn't know, and given the fact that I was starting to lose the feeling in my fingers and toes, I had my well-justified doubts about this theory. But putting on my clothes now meant opening and leaving the lukewarm refuge I called my sleeping bag, and that, I was sure, would result in chillblains, frostbite or even worse. Likewise, getting to my car to turn on the heater or even drive home would probably have the same result, so leaving the tent or even my sleeping bag was out of the question. So I decided to just sit this out. Morning would have to come eventually, and until then I would just try to keep myself warm with warm thoughts. I pictured myself laying on a beach, somewhere near the equator - hot, burning sun, waves hitting the sandy shore, and air that was so hot it seemed to warm me up from the inside out with every breath I took. Closing my eyes, I let out an unexpectedly content sigh that almost drowned out my chattering teeth, rubbing my arms against each other. Surprisingly enough, the mental image of laying on a sunny, sandy beach lightened my stricken mood, and I could feel myself relax as sleep started to wash over me. That is, until a huge hole was torn into my sancutary sleeping bag and all the warm air my body had so cumbersomely produced over the course of the past hours rushed out in an instant, being replaced by the icy air that filled our shared tent. In an instant, I could feel my mood worsen. I was angry. I was raging mad! Who or whatever had had the audacity to recklessly break into my refuge clearly had no idea of the struggle I was going through, and whoever it was would get to feel- My thoughts were cut short as I felt the touch of two incredibly warm hands on my back, shortly followed by the feeling of something slipping into my sleeping bag and snuggling up against my back. My breath caught in my throat as my mind put one and one together and caught up with what was happening. Roseluck had joined me. And she was warm. She was glowing! I could feel an involuntary shiver run through my spine as she pressed her body against mine, closing the sleeping bag again, then laid her arms around my neck, her soft touch heating up my frozen limbs like a hot-water bottle. It was by then that I noticed that she, just like me, was naked. I felt her breasts pressing against my back, her thighs resting against mine, and could sense a pleasant warmth coming from within me as a smile grew on my face. Roseluck planted a kiss on my cheek from behind, then rested her head against mine. And just like that, I wasn't shivering anymore. I wasn't angry anymore. I was just happy. Happy to be with her; happy that I had her. Slowly, carefully, I turned around in the now even tighter embrace of my sleeping bag, and looked at the love of my life. The light shining onto our tent was sparse, and I could barely make out the shape of her head in the dark, but even then I could see that she was smiling. It was a genuine, honest, and serious smile. She had seen that I was freezing, and had come to warm me up. I never thought I could love someone as much as I loved her in this moment. I laid my arms around her bare body, pulling her in for what felt like the tightest embrace we had ever shared. She returned the hug, resting her head on my shoulder, and let out a soft sigh. As far as I was concerned, we could have stayed like this for the rest of the night. Heck, we could have stayed like this for the rest of our lives, but it seemed Roseluck had other things in mind. A few moments later, she pulled back and broke the hug. Her eyes never leaving mine, she tenderly grabbed my hands in hers, and gently led them to her breasts. Not wanting to break the pleasant silence of the night, I gave her a questioning look, but she just pulled herself close to me, making our bodies touch, flung her arm around my neck and planted her lips on mine. And in that moment, I knew what she meant. And nothing more needed to be said. "I now pronounce you husband and wife." Like stunned, I stood there, looking at her smiling form. "You may now kiss the bride." Really, how could I have ever forgotten about this? This night had, despite the rather disappointing afternoon before, ended up being one of the best nights of my whole life, and just thinking back to it made me smile as if by command, and I was sure it must have a similiar effect on Roseluck. But despite that, I could tell that she still seemed preserved - nervous, if nothing else. And to be fair, I did understand why. Having a child was a big, a huge step forward in our relationship, and while I didn't need to think even one second about whether the two of us were ready for this responsibility, I could understand why she had been meaning to tell me about it in person - and why she, now, had been so hesitant to tell me about it. We had talked about the topic of children several times by now - neither of us had any objections or reservations about it, though we had decided to delay this whole matter until after we were married for, well, obvious reasons. Now, however, fate had leapfrogged us, though I could tell that she didn't mind - and neither did I. Surely that was a surprise, especially for me. After all, who could have known that this night would have such drastic effects? Hell, until now I hadn't even been sure if we had actually had sex that night. We had spent the whole night in each other's embrace, our bodies and minds united physically, yes, but even moreso spiritually. It was in this night that I had realized that the two of us were made for each other; that I felt connected to her on a level I had never thought possible, and that she was the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with - to grow old with, to be buried with, and to be united with in my afterlife, together for all eternity. By all means, this night had been all about sensuality, togetherness and above all, love. The phyiscal contact had been just a side effect. And of course, I now was all the more surpised to hear what unexpected results this night had brought with it. But nevertheless, saying that I was 'happy' would have been an understatement. All petty, unimportant and unrealistic daydreams about making it big and rolling in money aside, all my life I had only had one big aim: having a family. And with Roseluck by my side ... and with our ... our child on the way, I ... I just ... I couldn't believe it. Really, the fact that despite all my reservations, the message Roseluck had been meaning to tell me had not been that she wanted to leave me, but also that it had turned out to be such a pleasant surprise, had turned my gloomy mood upside down within seconds and made me want to jump with joy. But even more than that, seeing the look in her eyes ... that look that told me just how happy she was about the prospect of becoming a mother, filled me with a happiness I had never known before. And still, I could tell that Roseluck was nervous - standing stiffly, awaiting my response - and becoming more nervous with every second I didn't react. I didn't need to wonder. I didn't need to think. What happened next came from the bottom from my heart, and from nowhere else. I took a step forward, put my arms around her, and we exchanged the longest, most righteous, most intense kiss of our whole life. The audience broke out in cheers, and the world around us seemed to vanish in a blur. Moments later, I finally pulled back, and looked into the eyes of the person I loved more than anything else in this world. Tears of joy were freely running down her face - tears I had only seen her shed once in her life, and tears I hoped I could make her shed many more times in the life that lay ahead of us - a life the two of us would spend together. Side by side like the partners for life we now were. I drew in a sharp breath, fighting with myself, but couldn't help it. The sight of Roseluck looking at me like this; the atmosphere around us, and most importantly the realization that all this was real life and not just another dream, finally made me tear up too. Feeling my eyes wet and tears running down her face, I put my arms around my bride once more, pulling her into a tight, tender hug. "I love you." I whispered into her ear. "I love you too." she replied, without a second of hesitation. I closed my eyes, taking in a deep breath of the sweet rosey scent that surrounded her hair, and could feel my body relax as my mind drifted off into nirvana. Because I knew that, from now on, things ... wouldn't be perfect. Not all the time, at least. Life would be hard from time to time; sticks and stones would be thrown in our ways, and dark times would come and go. But none of this would matter in the end. Because I knew that, with her by my side, the good times would always prevail. Because I knew that we were together. Together for the rest of our lives. And nothing else mattered.