From the Ashes

All Good Things

Christopher must have asked Jonathan for his blessing, because he had a surprise engagement party for us at the Underground the next day. Everyone was so excited for us; I lost count of how many people came to congratulate us. One morning not long after, I rolled over as the sun streamed in through the curtains. Christopher was next to me, snoring softly with his hair tousled and his face relaxed. He looked so peaceful. I kissed his check, careful not to wake him. I took one of the blankets and wrapped it tightly around my small frame, covering my bare shoulders. I picked up my journal from the side table and went to sit in the window seat. I fiddled with the ring on my finger as I thought about the wedding. It was only two weeks away now. We didn't want to wait too long but needed some time to get things in order before jumping in to anything. Danielle and the girls at the Underground had all offered to help me plan. One girl was making my wedding dress, another helped with the flowers, others offered to help decorate. I journaled about the big day and what all was left to do. I wanted to give the girls something to say thank you for all their help, so I wrote those ideas down as well. I hadn't been writing long when Christopher started waking up.

"More wedding plans?" he asked through a yawn, stretching.

"Good morning, and yeah. I just get so excited I can hardly sleep," I said as I closed my journal. I pulled up on side of my blanket that had fallen down since I sat down.

"It won't be long now, just a couple more weeks and then you'll be stuck with me forever," Christopher said.

I laughed and went to pick out an outfit for the day. "I can't wait. Danielle asked me to stop by later for a fitting. She said it could be the last one."

"If you wait and go at lunch, I could come too and then we could stop by the house and you could make a list of stuff you need."

I shook my head and finished tying my dress in the front. "Nice try. I already told you, you're not going to see the dress until the day of. It's bad luck to see the bride in the dress before the wedding. I'll meet you at the house after though, because I have to believe you didn't bring much with you when you moved."

He sighed, defeated. "Alright. I can do that."

I slipped a pair of shoes on and headed for the door. "I'm going to go downstairs and get breakfast started; it's not going to get any earlier." I was cooking the eggs when Christopher made his way downstairs and started to set the table.

"Is Jonathan outside?" he asked.

"I don't think so. He wasn't here when I came down, so I am not sure where he's at," I replied while putting some eggs on each plate. We had already started eating when Jonathan burst through the door, breathing heavily, his face pale and eyes wide. There wasn't much that would have him so shaken up.

"He's coming, Lizzie." It was all he said.

My fork fell from my hand and onto my plate with a clang. "How long?" I asked.

"They'll be here before the day is out," he said. I placed my face in my hands, and Jonathan moved closer to the table.

"Then there's still time. Lizzie, we can leave and get you out. I won't let Jacob hurt you again," Christopher said, placing his hand on my arm.

"Lizzie there's something else," Jonathan said. "He has hostages. He arrested Maximus for harboring a fugitive and Rebecca and Caleb for withholding information involving your whereabouts. He's determined to find you and wants to exploit your weaknesses."

"It's working," I sighed. "This is all my fault. I pushed him to this. I never should have stayed with Maximus. If I would have just kept running, none of this would be happening."