Chapter 23: Vows

They invited their friends from New York to come to their wedding, which they were having in a small church near Central Park. They flew to New York three days prior to their wedding so they could get things ready.

She didn't have a big dress. Just a white knee length dress and light blue stilettos. She had a small bouquet and wasn't doing anything fancy with her hair. She'd brought Samantha and Mikayla matching blue dresses and white cardigans. Jordan had smart trousers, a white shirt and blue tie, with a suit jacket.

On the day her mom and sister-in-law helped her get ready. Her sister in law curled her hair and put just a trace of make-up on. Then she dressed Mikayla, Jordan and Sam. Mikayla was very resistant to put her dress on because she said it was itchy. "Itchy mommy!"

"You've only got to wear it for a few hours" replied Jamie "Come it's mommy and daddy's wedding day!"

"No" pouted folding her arms.

"Mikayla do as your mommy says" said her mom, Francesca.

"No" she cried before running off through the apartment wearing just her knickers and tights. Jamie chased after her and caught her. "Behave young lady!"

She did manage to get it on her and finish dressing Sam. "You two look beautiful" Jamie smiled looking at her daughters.

"Itchy mommy!" Said Mikayla

"Tough" replied Jamie as her mom came into the room.

"Oh Jamie you look so beautiful" she smiled "Your fiancée won't know what's hit him when he sees you walking down the aisle towards him"

"Thanks" smiled Jamie

"Come on better hurry or your brothers going to have a fit down there" laughed Francesca "He's got the car running on the meter"

"Trust Lucas" Jamie rolled her eyes "Even on my wedding day he's complaining about money!"

"Think it's his stupid wife" replied Francesca "They had a massive argument last night because she refused to come to the wedding and would not let him bring Nadia, Benny and Jose to the wedding with him. Selfish witch"

"I never wanted her at my wedding after what she said about Mikayla. I nearly killed her" replied Jamie "Don and Lucas had to tear us apart. Why did he even marry her?"

"I've been asking myself the same thing for the last six years" said Francesca "But he did bring them with him. They're at the church with Nathan and Cassidy. Come on let's go"

"Ok" smiled Jamie lifting Sam's carrier up of the bed. Francesca took Mikayla's hand and they left the apartment. Lucas helped them into the car and drove them there, clearly still in a pissy mood from the argument he'd had with his wife the night before. He didn't talk much but he got them there on time.

Once at the church Francesca took Sam inside and sat with her family while Jamie readied herself with her dad…

There's always gonna be some canyon in the way.

There's always gonna be a river I cannot cross.

Somewhere along this path that's chosen me

I know I'm gonna fall down, feel lost, feel weak.

But wherever it leads.

Eddy slipped his arm round hers and her stomach did a summersault. "Ready?" he asked, smiling softly

"Only for two years" she laughed slightly "But I'm really ready"

"You have the right to back out" he joked

"Dad!" she exclaimed "I'm marrying him at last. We've only been trying to for the last two and half years! I'm not backing out, not now, not ever. I love him dad. I'll stick by him through thick and thin. He's the one."

"You already have sweetheart" he smiled "You never gave up on him when he was in hospital after the explosion. I know you'll stick by him. Because he's a good man. I know a good man, a genuine man, when I see one and he's definitely one. He's the man I've always wanted for you Jamie. I know he loves you, it's in his eyes. It always has been. Even when I first met him, I could see it in his eyes. He was in love with you and I know now, he loves you… so ready?"

"I'm ready" she smiled, almost crying. She pushed them away and steeled herself. This was it. It was finally going to happen. They were finally going to get married.

Taking her arm again they started to walk and eddy proudly walked her down the aisle towards Flack…

No one said this would ever be easy, my love!

But I will be by your side when the impossible rises up.

We will travel this life well-worn,

No matter the cost, no matter how long.

We will leave our footprints behind

And carry on, carry on, carry on, carry on!

Standing at the alter his stomach was doing summersaults. "Smile man" said best man, Danny "You're getting married to the woman you love not being slaughtered"

"Isn't marriage the same thing?" flack Joked

"Sometimes" replied Danny

"Great thanks you're not giving me much faith in marriage" said Flack.

"But" said Danny "It can be the most rewarding thing. Because I tell you now you've got so much to look forward to. Being happy with the woman you love, knowing you're safe and raising your children together. Being a family, a proper family at last. Because let me tell you, you two so deserve it. You both deserve to be happy". Flack looked over to his grandmother who was sat in the front row with a beaming and hyper Jordan. His son, his perfect son and his two perfect daughters. And he had the woman of his dreams. He had the family he'd always wanted. It was perfect.

"I was told things would get better, but that it would take time. They were right. Because he were are, at last. It feels like then beginning of a whole new chapter and I'm liking the view. I'm liking the way this chapter looks" smiled Flack hearing the music begin. He turned around and saw Jamie coming through the doors. She looked so beautiful, her look was simplistic but absolutely beautiful. She looked like something out of his boyhood dreams. "Good luck" whispered Danny.

He watched as she walked up the aisle towards him and when she reached him he leaned into her and whispered "You look beautiful"

She blushed slightly and smiled at him. They soon made their vows, slipping the rings onto each other's fingers was like a sign that it was meant to be. That they had survived this and that they would survive anything life anything threw at them. They had written some vows for each other too. Just short ones. He went first. "Jamie you are everything to me, I don't know where I would be without you in my life. You've never given up on me even when I deserved it and I will never give up on you. Because for as long as I live I'll do anything to protect you. To protect you and our children. I promise you because I love you more than I've ever loved anybody in my life"

Some will write you off before you ever start.

Some will say the journey's just too hard.

Somewhere between right here and the other side

There will be fear and doubt in the deep dark night.

But we will survive, yeah!

Then Jamie read hers. "There was a time when I thought we'd never get here. That we'd never make it. But we have and it's like nothing I've ever felt before. We made it Don, we're finally here. Maybe it's because we're meant to be. I want you forever, for you to be in life for as long as live. I love you, you're the love of my life Don. I love you" silent tears rolled down her cheeks.

Eventually the vicar pronounced them man and wife. "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride"

They smiled at each other then leaned in and kissed each other. They wrapped their arms around each other and kissed passionately for a long time. They could hear the younger children making vomiting noises in the background but they were lost in each other's kiss. Everyone else cheered though.

Afterwards they held the small reception at her parent's apartment and had such a good laugh. They caught up with everyone. And everyone congratulated them. "Congratulations" smiled Mac "I'm so pleased you got to do this at last. You deserve it"

"Thanks" smiled Flack

"So how's Florida?" asked Mac

"Lovely, hot and Jordan's become obsessed with the sea" replied Jamie "Dragging him away from it is a nightmare. He gets really stroppy. So I let him deal with it" she nodded in Flack's direction. "But other than that it's perfect. It's totally different to living here, it's not living at a million miles an hour there. It's more paced"

"But it's better for them" added Flack "It's just manic here. I mean grew up here but I mean I worked homicide and just the amount of kids bodies I've seen. I don't wanna raise my kids here"

"You have to do what you think best" smiled Mac

No one said this would ever be easy, my love!

But I will be by your side when the impossible rises up.

We will travel this life well-worn,

No matter the cost, no matter how long.

We will leave our footprints behind

And carry on, carry on, carry on, carry on!

One sight was funny yet particularly adorable. It was the sight of Sam lying on her matt in her grandparent's bedroom next to Noah, Jodie and Mollie, the triplets of Danny and Lindsay. There was only a few weeks between them. Noah, Jodie and Mollie had been born three weeks before Sam. They kept poking each other and giggling about it. "If you were staying they'd be the best of pals" laughed Danny

"They'd probably grow up joined at the hip" Flack grinned "Could you imagine the trouble they could cause at school?"

"Yeah I think they'd probably get themselves excluded" smirked Danny. "It's weird. I always thought we'd be friends until one of us died of old age at like 90 or something"

"I didn't say this move was forever" replied Flack, laughing slightly "We might come back one day in the future. But for now. It's a new start, just time to move on and spend time as a family, making up for lost time and troubles."

After a couple of drinks and a laugh people started to leave.

Jordan, Mikayla and Sam remained with their grandparents for a week while Jamie and Flack went on their honeymoon in Miami.

We may fall behind,

Lose miles along this road.

We will be alright,

I will never let you go.

The wedding had been perfect, not too much and not too little. Just right. It hadn't been about making a statement it was about them showing their commitment to each other, showing just how much they loved each other. And that's exactly what they'd done. There'd been no mishaps or cock-ups either. It had gone smoothly. Everyone they'd invited had turned up and they'd caught up with everyone. But for Flack there had been just one person missing, the one person he'd always wanted there. His sister, Samantha. Her life had been snatched away by his stalker. He thought about her every day. It was true because there wasn't a day that passed when he didn't think about her. At the wedding he could've sworn he'd seen her standing in the corner, smiling. Perhaps she had been there, in spirit, to show her support. Just maybe.

But finally they'd tied the knot, two and half years after originally getting engaged. They'd made it and they'd finally done it.

No one said this would ever be easy, my love!

But I will be by your side when the impossible rises up.

We will travel this life well-worn,

No matter the cost, no matter how long.

We will leave our footprints behind

And carry on, and carry on

When they got back their lives were finally quiet and normal. And from there life went on…

OK so this the actual last chapter and I'm so glad I've got this up and done. It's been done for a while actually but I've been working on other projects and just started college so I've had things on my mind. but yeah here it is. I know it isn't brilliant but I think it's got everything it needs. I'm planning a sequel which is already in the works and I've got several other stories on the go too.

Thanks for reading, please R&R