Writer in the Dark - J. HALE

84 - ɪᴛ ᴇɴᴅꜱ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ ᴡᴇᴅᴅɪɴɢ

"Wouldn't have missed it, Athena, you know how I am, stubborn," he chuckled, brushing off the comment without much second thought.

She chuckled momentarily, then turned back to the seriousness that she carried before, "Seriously Billy, I honestly didn't think you would witness this sort of thing in my life."

"I am very glad to be witnessing it," he replied with a smile that she knew was not an exaggeration nor a lie. They hugged then, briefly and not so tight as usual since she didn't want to accidentally do something.

"Did you want anything to eat?" she asked as the hug broke, concern still flooding through her eyes.

He smiled, "No, maybe a drink though."

She raised a brow, "Alcoholic?"

"Always," he chuckled. She grinned then floated off, falling through the crowd as she headed to the bar stocked only for mortals. She got a little distracted talking to Ela and billy took that as his opportunity. He went over to where Jasper was standing, alone by the time that he got there. He, after asking to talk to him, went to a place that was a little quieter - away from most of the noise of the wedding. He began, "Make sure you take care of her. She acts strong but she has a very delicate soul with some things." A pause followed as he swallowed some form of waver in his voice "Especially after... I am unable to do so any longer."

"I'll take care of her, don't worry," Jasper reassured with a hidden brow raise, knowing that Billy wasn't one to talk of the looming threat of mortality on his back. It annoyed Athena, how little he talked about it all and Jasper had heard quite a few rants about that situation. So the sudden change in his demeanour must have meant something that Athena did not know, the looming must be a little bit closer than he thought it was.

"I do worry for her, constantly, but maybe there's a certain level of relaxation with you in the picture," he paused, looking around the corner for any sign of her coming back from the bar. But no, she seemed far too distracted with Benjamin. So, he continued, "Something else, nature documentaries. She will say that she doesn't like them but she does, it stops her mind for a while even if she says that it doesn't. Flick them on ever so often, without saying that you're doing it because of that...Just, look out for her and notice the little changes in her attention when it occurs, they all mean something. Oh! And do not interrupt her reading of one particular book with a yellow spine and white flowers on it, trust me."

"Too late for that piece of advice," Jasper chuckled, remembering the berating he got for doing that very thing. Then, as the laughter stopped, the seriousness returned again, "I'll always watch out for her, after and before..."

"Good," Billy responded just as Athena turned the corner, stopping briefly in shock at the two of them in conversation.

"Woah! Weird vibe over here, what's going on?" she asked with an unsuspecting grin, glowing under the love that surrounded her as she handed him the glass she had collected from the bar.

"Talking about you behind your back," Billy joked, earning quite the piercing glare from her. All the bad things he should know about you."

She laughed awkwardly, looking to Jasper for some sort of hint to what they were talking about before she looked back to Billy, looking in his eyes for the same thing. Then she stopped, focus falling onto the look in his eyes, "Are you okay? You look almost...tearful?"

"Don't worry about me, go dance and have fun," he put on a reassuring smile that he knew wouldn't convince her but Jasper was already working on that, taking away some of her suspicious emotion.

She smiled softly, still confused by the tears in Billy's eyes, "That's what I came here for, Jazz?"

"Thought you didn't typically tend to dance?"Billy laughed and Jasper raised a brow, thinking something completely different about her.

"I used to love dancing at balls, you know that and I will dance at my wedding thank you very much," she laughed softly, taking Jaspers offered arm with a grin. She then spoke softly to him, "Just not any of that extravagant dancing you do with Alice, I don't fancy being flipped over."

"I would pay to see that," Billy laughed as they walked away. Athena turned and gave him an angered smile before they disappeared onto the dancefloor, Jasper laughing at her anger towards Billy.

She smiled goofily at Luna as she danced with Alice then gave her new husband her full and undivided attention. "What were you and Billy talking about?" she asked quietly as they waltzed, surrounded by the orangey glow of all the lit lanterns above them.

"You," he replied with slight reluctance, knowing the questioning look that would befall her face. she "It's between him and me," he brushed off, twirling her around on the beat of the music. She grinned, momentarily forgetting all about it but her gaze landed on the forlorn-looking Billy (who smiled when he noticed she was looking) and the question arose again, along with a slight tug of worry that Jasper soon soothed away - just as she had asked him too. She wanted to enjoy the day, not be locked down by such overwhelming anxiousness.

"I could just look into your head and find out," she smirked jokingly before she rested her head on his shoulder, inhaling deeply with a grin replacing the smirk.

"But I know and trust you wouldn't," he responded with a knowing tone of voice. She chuckled then, knowing for the thousandth that she had made the correct decision walking down the aisle. "So, Mrs Witlock, has this wedding been what you've dreamt of?" he asked as they fell into more of a waltz, her head no longer resting on his shoulder but instead looking straight at him.

She chuckled and glanced to their clasped hands, straight to the ring with such a meaning on his finger. "Every single thing or atom has been exactly how I wanted it to be," she smiled brightly, letting her gaze drift to some things around the room. It had been everything she ever wanted, she had the heirloom, the perfect dress and the perfect partner. They were surrounded by people who loved them and who they loved dearly, but not too many. "Even with Alice trying to persuade into somethings. Has it been the same for you?"

He chuckled, glad that she had everything she wanted mixed in with the very few things that he wanted. "If it was everything you wanted, then yes."

"You're far too perfect for this world, Jazz," she smiled softly and rested her head back on his shoulder, as they began to sway instead of the waltz as the music had changed. He chuckled deeply, the sound echoing in her ears. A sound she could and would listen to forever.

"And I can't wait to spend forever with you," he whispered in her ear, only imagining the smile of joy that came onto their face.

"Neither can I," she whispered back, feeling herself fall into a pit of happiness that would take something awful to climb out of. Touchwood.

And their forever was the happiest of them all. 

Barring the ten years, it took Athena to become somewhat okay with Billy's death, taking place a week after their wedding.