Chapter 9 Husband and Wife

The week flew by faster than Jack or Kristy could imagine. It was finally the day that they were getting married. Neither one of them could contain their excitement. With everything they had discovered about themselves it made this moment even more special. It was the hardest thing to keep pure and to not fall into the sexual desired, especially living in the same house. Needless to say, it was going to make that moment even more special.

Jack had picked out a pair of black dress shoes, nice pair of charcoal colored dress pants, a blue collared button up shirt, and a dark charcoal tie to bring it together. He liked the way he looked in the dress clothes. He hoped that Kristy would think he looked good. He picked the blue shirt because it was her favorite color. This wasn't a traditional wedding so they picked what they wanted to wear. They just wanted to look good for each other.

They had agreed that the only traditional thing they were going to do was not see each other until they were there at the courthouse, in front of the mayor. He was going to get there first and wait with the mayor for her. His excitement and anticipation was palpable.

Jack arrived there at the courthouse at nine that morning. They had already discussed their plans with the mayor and he was more than willing to accommodate them. On the down low he was a devote Christian and a romantic so the specification they asked for were up his alley anyhow. He walked up the stairs to the courthouse, through the big double doors, and up the staircase to the mayor's office. Every step brought more butterflies to his stomach. He felt sweat begin to bead his forehead. It wasn't even quite time yet and he already felt nervous. He'd known her since they were ten years old and still he felt like that same boy when he'd asked her for the first time to be his girlfriend. They had been twelve by then. We had finally worked up the nerve to tell her of his feelings all she did was smile at him and tell him she already knew.

Now they were here. The moment they had been waiting for since they were eighteen years old. Only ready now because they had enough money saved for a decent time away and a good honeymoon spot to go to. They had saved up to go to Bora Bora for a week. They had ten thousand saved and credit cards to use as a last resort for any other expenses. He was excited to say the least.

Jack wanted this to be special so though they saved up he never told Kristy where they were going or what they were doing. Though she wasn't clueless by any means. She knew they were going somewhere out of country because they had to get their passports made up. She was also aware of how much money they had saved so she also knew it was something big. She had complained to him before about how much they had been putting toward the trip and that they didn't need to go somewhere that expensive. Jack had insisted and she agreed with much reluctance.

He stood there with the mayor with much anticipation. Only a few more minutes and he would see his soon to be wife walk through the door with the beautiful dress she picked out for their wedding. He wondered if they'd match. The thought struck him as funny, bringing a smile to his face. Wouldn't that be something, he thought to himself.

The last thought stopped abruptly when the door started to open to the mayor's office. His heart skipped a beat, his eyes pooled with tears, and his mouth come slightly ajar.

Kristy was a nervous wreck. She was nervous about the way she looked and how the dress fitted her. Nervous about the way Jack would see her on this special day. The only thing she couldn't grasp is that she was absolutely astonishing.

Her hair was straightened, and eye liner applied to her eyes. She had no mother or role model to tell her how to do makeup and every YouTube tutorial that there was she either didn't have the patience for, couldn't get quite right, or simply just didn't understand. Jack always told her she didn't need the makeup, because she was already so beautiful, but it was about what she wanted tonight.

She looked in the mirror and saw herself. She was happy with the way the mascara and eye liner looked. She grabbed her dress and pulled it over top of herself. She had picked a dress that was a teal color at the top and changed into a vibrant green at the bottom. Both of their favorite colors in one beautiful dress. The dress had no straps and hugged her chest tightly. Where her chest was the dress had a ruffled look to it by design and a little poufy. There was no cleavage, just the way she liked it. There was a slit that went up to her mid-thigh. The dress itself went all the way down covering her shoes. She was wearing converse. She knew Jack wouldn't care and would get a kick out of it, but it didn't mean she wanted to see the judgement in other's eyes.

Giving one last good look in the mirror she walked out the front door to her car and drove to the mayor's office. She was going to get their right on time. With each minute of the clock ticking by, the more butterflies that floated into her stomach. This was it. They were finally going to be married. She felt the heat rise to her face as she pulled into the spot next to Jack's car.

She remembered back to how they had first come to be together. Somehow she always knew from the moment she first saw him they were meant to be. She felt her heart urge towards him and as if in response his did the same. He had waited so long before finally coming clean about his feelings. When he did finally fumble his way through the words she simply stated that she knew. She smiled at the reflection. So much had tried to separate them since that moment. Nothing had succeeded.

Pulling herself from her memory she got out of the car. Her knees felt weak and nausea threatened to make her vomit. She didn't understand why she was so nervous. She had never met another man like Jack. Sure he had his flaws, but he never failed to be there for her when she needed it. Case in point with that thing that attacked her. Then again when he opened her eyes to true seeing. They had a lot to do when they came back from the honeymoon. It struck her as a little selfish that they were just going to leave the world to deal with this evil while they went off to celebrate. But that was okay wasn't it? Her mind faltered for a moment. She shook her head. The world had dealt with it for this long and they had been in the dark of it and lied to. Who was to say that people at wherever they were going didn't need help too?

The thought remedied the pang of guilt that had snuck up on her. She was at the door of the mayor's office when she dismissed her thoughts. Anxiety took her, and a tremor began in her hand. She clenched it into a fist to steady it, and took a breath through her nose. The butterflies remained but she allowed confidence to seep into her. She grabbed the handle and opened the door.

There stood her handsome fiancé next to the mayor. He must have thought she was beautiful, because his mouth fell slightly open and his eyes pooled with tears. Now why did he do that, she thought to herself. Tears pooled up in her eyes and she smiled at him. Walking over to him she swallowed past the lump in her throat. He reached out his hand and took hers. The mayor's gruff voice rumbled, "Now aren't you both looking dashing."

Still smiling at each other they both said thank you. It was impossible for her to take her eyes of his bold brown eyes. She really wanted to kiss him now. His lips were beckoning her forth. Though he never used Chap Stick, his lips were like soft pillows. It made her mad, but she loved it all the same though. Somewhere in the distance she could hear talking. It was they mayor. For the first time she broke eye contact and looked at the mayor. He nodded and said, "I'll take that as a yes." He chuckled.

"I understand you have both wrote your own vows so I simply would like to pray with you and then give direction on who will start. Okay?"

Jack's voice came out with a tremble, "Okay." He smiled.

Kristy nodded, her smile broadening.

"Dear Lord, we thank you for today for Jack and Kristy. For allowing them to come here safely and ready for your blessings to abound in their marriage. You are the rock of their foundation and I pray that they continue to build their house stronger. We thank you for the love that abounds in them right now and ask for Your direction in their lives. I ask this in Jesus' name, Amen." He paused, "And now for the vows. Jack will you please read you vows."

Jack swallowed hard and gained his voice. He had wrote the words a few dozen times and had the idea of what he wanted to say. But he had no paper now and let his heart talk. She knew he was about to mean every word by the way his spirit grew brighter before he spoke.

"Kristy, I vow to love you always. In sickness and in health, during the good times and the bad. I vow to always be there for you when you need me. I vow that I would lay down my life if it meant saving yours. I will love you passionately, vigorously, and unbashful. You are my best friend and you always will be. I love you with everything that I have and am. I've always been a half and you've made me whole. You were my first love and you have always been my only love. I will keep it that way forevermore."

"And now you Kristy."

She felt the heat rise in her face at Jack's words sank in. She knew he loved her, but he'd never spoken with such passion directly to her. With such undeniable authority. Each of his words drove into her with all the love he intended to put into them. He loved her more than she could fathom. The same was how she felt for him. He waited for this moment to drive that point to her. And he had succeeded with such gentleness. Now it was her turn.

She blinked the tears away and cleared her throat. "Jack I vow to love you with every part of me for always. I vow to be there with you in sickness and in health, good and bad. I knew from the first day we met that we were going to be together for the rest of our lives and I vow to you now to keep it that way. Anyway I can."

Her heart felt warm saying those words. She could feel her light reflecting what she said. Jack must have noticed too because his eyes dropped from hers to where her spirit was. He smiled and tears slipped from his eyes. She felt the tears fall from her eyes too.

"Now, do you Jack take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, till death do you part?" Asked the mayor, through a lump in his throat.

"I do." Jack responded barely audible behind a sob.

"And do you Kristy, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, till death do you part?"

"I do." Kristy responded.

"Then with the power vested in me by the state of Ohio and under God, I pronounce you both husband and wife. Jack... you may kiss your bride." The mayor said smiling.

Jack needed no further encouragement and pulled Kristy into him by her hands and then brought his hands up to her face holding it. He kissed her deeply and she felt a sudden surge in her being. Jack jumped a little and must have felt it to.

They pulled away and looked at each other and while they did both their spirits left their bodies. A light tethered their spirits to their body and they went just above their heads. They watched as spirits circled each other causing the strings of light to twine together. It continued like this until the spirits collided together into one. Two spirits became one through marriage. The spirits then separated, but stayed connected through small strings of light. They could barely see them their even with their sight, but still there all the same.

This must have taken a little longer than either of them thought because the mayor cleared his throat to get their attention. "I've got this signed. I will get this mailed for you and you can pick up the final copy that verifies that you're married at the Municipal Building. You guys have fun on your honeymoon."

"Thank you." Jack said and shook the mayor's hand to further extend is gratitude.

Jack took Kristy by the hand which seemed much warmer than when she last held it a few moments ago. A since of unreal began to fall on her. They were married. She smiled. She couldn't remember a time she had felt this happy. She was with the man she loved and about to go back home with him. There they would stay one more night and then leave the next morning to go to wherever Jack had picked.

They made it to their cars and took ten minutes to say goodbye and leave to go home. It was hard to separate after what they saw and experienced. They kissed long and sweet kisses several more times before they separated into their cars. Jack took leave first followed by Kristy. She looked down and at the small strings of light and saw they stretched out in front of her. For as long as they were married they would always be able to find each other. She was curious about how far away from each other they could get and see the strings of where her partner might be. Though she already knew that he could be on the other side of the planet and it would still show her how to get to him. She felt a sudden calmness of peace.

She pulled into her parking spot beside Jack. Her sense of peace went from her almost as quickly as it came. Now she realized what would come next. They would do the thing they had both long waited for. An ache and urge pulled at the pit of her stomach. She longed for her husband. Desire flushed through her entire body at the new title her lover held to her. She suddenly couldn't wait to be in that house with him. In that bedroom… If they even made it that far.