Chapter Text
Marcus had a surprise for Abby. She begged him to tell her where they were going, and she got more and more persistent with her questions the longer they were in the rover. Her fingers were dancing on his thigh, and he was this close to giving in and telling her, but they were only minutes from their destination now. He mustered every ounce of willpower he had and resisted her advances, fixing his eyes straight on the bumpy path through the trees. There would be plenty of time for that where they were going.
He stopped the rover exactly where Indra had told him to and opened his door, stepping outside into the warm summer air.
Abby opened her door too, hopping down onto the ground. She joined him at the back of the rover where he was gathering up their things. She grabbed her pack, and he shut the back doors. The words Just Married were written in white on the metal, something Sinclair had suggested after watching one too many archived romance movies with his wife, Ilaria.
Abby furrowed her eyebrows. “This is the surprise?” she asked, gesturing at the forest. The oak, pine, and ash trees of the northeast part of this continent were green to the point of being monotonous. These particular trees were near Polis, and they were pretty unimpressive after years spent on the ground.
He smirked. “No. We have to walk a bit. The rover can’t travel where we’re going.”
"And where's that again?" she asked, innocently scuffing one of her boots along the dirt.
Her casual tone almost tricked him into answering, but he caught himself just in time, so she huffed and crossed her arms in protest. He suspected that she really did want to be surprised and was merely being difficult because she knew he thought it was adorable. He had never said as much, but it was probably obvious from the expression on his face.
He grabbed her hand and began to hike north, pulling her with him. His thumb ran gentle circles on the inside of her wrist, and he saw her hide a smile behind her long, wavy hair. He loved it when her hair cascaded over her shoulders, loose and free, untethered by the practical hair ties she loved so much.
They walked in comfortable silence for almost an hour. He was starting to think he had somehow gotten them lost, and didn’t we pass that tree already?, but eventually they came across a stream. He saw the landmark Indra had mentioned to him: circular stepping stones in the water forming a path to cross.
Abby’s face lit up, and she ran to the stream like an excited child. She slowly walked backwards across the stepping stones, grinning and beckoning him to follow with her index finger. He thought she was the most tantalizing person he had ever met; he would follow her anywhere.
He placed one boot on the first slippery stone, then stepped forward onto the next, never taking his eyes from hers. He could feel water lapping at his heels.
She made it across and waited for him, hand outstretched. He took it and jumped over the last bit of water onto the dirt, stumbling slightly. She steadied him, as she always did, running her hand down his arm.
He smiled. “Are you ready?”
She looked up at him, eyes shaded in the trees. “For our honeymoon or for the rest of our lives together?”
“Both.”
She held both of his hands by his sides, stood on her tiptoes and kissed him in response, lips soft and sweet. When she pulled away, his lips followed, seeking out more of her dazzling ministrations.
After a moment, he pulled her hand up and kissed the new ring on her finger. “Let’s go,” he said.
They turned right and walked for about half a kilometer. Her excitement was almost tangible; he could feel it in the crisp air surrounding them. They could hear a crashing sound nearby, and he knew they were close. Then they turned a corner, and there it was: a waterfall.
He inhaled sharply. Indra had described it in great detail, but somehow his imagination hadn't quite captured its essence. It was magnificent. A small lake spread out before them, large ripples emanating from one edge where water was falling from a jagged rock formation above. A large boulder sat in the water, connected to smaller boulders on the shore. Bright green trees surrounded them. Sunlight filtered through the canopy of leaves, illuminating small plants that had broken through cracks in the rocks, struggling to persevere. Amidst the harshness of the ground, this was an oasis.
“Oh, Marcus…” he heard her breathe. “It’s… everything I dreamed.” He remembered her saying that once before, when they had first landed on the ground years ago. Now he was here in this paradise with the love of his life, and he agreed completely. She was everything he dreamed.
He was still watching her, awestruck, when she started peeling off her clothes.
“What are you doing?”
“Going for a swim.” She unhooked her bra and quirked an eyebrow, as if daring him to look down. He most certainly did, biting back a grin. Then she removed her panties and threw them at him. She didn’t give him a second glance as she walked up onto the boulder sitting in the lake. She held her head up high. She looked like she belonged there, an angel guarding the water, porcelain skin contrasted against the dark browns of the cliff face.
Then she jumped. He heard a splash, then her sparkling laugh echoed off the rocks. “You gonna join me, Marcus?”
All of the sudden he realized that he was wearing entirely too many clothes. He quickly discarded them in a lumpy heap by a small tree, then climbed the boulder. He saw her treading water in the clear lake below, smiling up at him. Then he jumped too, pulling his legs up to his chest to make a big splash. The cool water encompassed him and when his feet hit the rocky bottom, he pushed up, and emerged back into the air.
He started to swim towards her, but she laughed and swam away, playing hard to get. He finally caught up to her at the edge of the waterfall, where the shallower water only came up to his chest. He captured her in his arms and launched them both through the downrush. On the other side of the wall of water, the roar was deafening.
He brushed her wet hair back from her face, gently tugging a strand from beneath the chain around her neck, a chain which now held two rings.
He leaned in close, wrapping his arms around her bare back, and spoke into her ear, lightly nipping at the cartilage. “Happy honeymoon, Dr. Griffin.”
She stroked his beard, kissing her way up his neck. “Happy honeymoon, Chancellor Kane.”