Trust Me Again

It was now almost a year ago since she and Oliver had found each other again, over a year filled with troubles and trying times where she had needed to find herself after getting out from her captivity. Things were slowly getting better, and she felt more and more herself for every day she woke up and felt like she could tackle the new day. She was just very thankful for how Oliver had given her space and time to do so; he had been by her every step of the way, even if they still hadn’t been able to make the bond permanent between one another. But as she was now speaking weekly with a therapist, she felt like things would soon turn around, and they would be what you would call a very normal and happy couple.
She had made it her mission to do a little summer cleaning since she hadn’t found the time for it in spring. Carrying some boxes out of the dresser, she tripped, and the box content sprawled out on the floor. For a moment, she wasn’t sure what she was looking at, but as she studied the picture, her eyes grew as her brows almost found their way all the way up to her hairline. Without thinking about it, she sat down, back to the door and started looking through the many pictures of her boyfriend, with both made a very stupid grin form over her lips but also a bright dark rosy colour to blossom in her cheeks.

Oliver sat in the living room with a bunch of papers, looking through one of the last assignments for this year. He sat very concentrated and looked it through, wearing glasses and hunched over from the couch to the papers on the coffee table. When he heard the bump upstairs, he looked up and wondered for a moment what had happened. When he didn’t hear a thing from her, the worst things got to his mind. He got up from his seat while putting his glasses on the coffee table. “Madelaine?” he spoke and walked towards the room upstairs. He got all the way to the room and opened the door quietly, afraid of what he might find. But she sat there very focused on something. Even though she had her back to him, he could almost see what she was looking at. He stepped closer and cleared his throat. “What are you looking at?” he wondered, folding his lips a little nervously.

She hadn’t heard him call for her, nor that he slowly opened the door to see what she was up to. It was only when he asked what she was looking at, that her whole body jerked up. Hiding away the many pictures that had fallen out of the box when she had moved it around. “No-Nothing!” she tried to defend herself, looking down at the pictures in her hands before putting them behind her back, pushing the box a little further back with her foot. “I just tripped, I’ll clean it up” a bright smile formed over her lips, even though she couldn’t quite hide how flustered she felt at this very moment, he wasn’t the only one that was feeling the effects, and if anything, she would think she had a harder time accepting that her body wanted one thing, while her brain wasn’t allowing her too. And seeing those pictures, well, it only made the fire burn even brighter inside of her.

His brows raised a little as she jerked up and frantically tried to hide the pictures away behind her back. Trying to push the box away so it looked less like she had been doing something she wasn’t allowed to do. He took a deeper breath and nodded. “Yeah, you made a mess,” he said and stepped closer to her. He put her hand between them, nonverbally asking for the pictures, “I bet you have some questions?” he said nodding towards her back shortly before he looked up at her eyes. He could see how flustered she seemed to be, and even though he could feel the pull between them, he had by now gotten used to not acting upon it. After all, he had had some practice with not following those impulses. Of course, it was always difficult to stop when he finally gave in to them.

Her teeth found her bottom lip which she softly bit down on, mostly trying to conceal the smile that started to form over her lips, she found the way he was acting to be rather amusing, not because he was deliberately funny, maybe it was just the whole ordeal that was rather comical. With a soft sigh, she placed the now neatly folded photographs into his hand. “Why would have questions?” she asked, raising her brow; “I thought we had established now, that you are just, slightly a few years older than me” her smile grew a little more in strength before she took a step closer to him “Even though, they are really nice pictures” she looked down and took one of them back “might keep this one” she hummed before she turned around and squatted down so she could better clean up the mess she had made when dropping the box in the first place.

He got the photographs back. He didn’t even look at them as he aligned them. He raised a brow shortly, pulling a small smile as she asked why she would have questions. Well, there might be questions about why they had been taken, or simply when, but maybe she didn’t feel like she needed the answers or was able to figure it out herself. “Just… A little,” he said pulling a slightly wider smile as she got closer. She took one of the pictures, which made him look down at the one she had taken from him. “You can keep them all if you want,” he chuckled a little. As she turned around and squatted down to clean up, he made a small movement with his hands, which collected things for her, just to make it a little easier for her.

She looked at how the photographers moved together on their own accord, letting out a small huff. She turned and looked at him, that special glint in her eye that had once seemed extinguished after Joseph had kidnapped her. But it was clear that she was slowly getting back into the Madelaine most people knew and cared for. “Maybe I will keep them for myself when I’m feeling lonely”, she hummed as a smirk formed over her lips; then, she put the photographs in the box and got up with it in her arms. “I should even put it under the bed under my side of the bed; then I’ll always have it right at hand”, she chuckled, her nose scrunched before pulling her tongue out at him.
Then she decided it was better to put it where she had made room, which was downstairs. Therefore she turned and started walking down the stairs to the small room. Even if they might be a little much for guests to find, she had found many of them quite good, and if she were being honest, it would be a shame to throw them out.

“Oh?” he said with raised brows, unable to hide the wide smile. When she got up with the box in her arms, he put the pictures he held in his hand in the box. After all, it seemed like she wouldn’t mind keeping them. He chuckled with her as she mentioned how she could keep the pictures under her side of the bed. “That sounds like a brilliant idea,” he teased, scrunching his nose too. She could do with them as she pleased.

As she moved out of the room, he followed her downstairs, mostly because he believed he was going back to work. As he got down, she left to go put the box away and he stopped. He could feel how it felt cold the more she moved away, which made him press his lips into a thin line. He fought the urge to follow her and instead went to the kitchen to make him a fresh cup of coffee.

When she had tucked it away neatly, she took the bandana she had around her wrist and bound her hair up, so it wouldn’t get in her eyes, as she noticed that he had gone into the kitchen, she followed not long after.
For a moment she just watched him, how he was standing there preparing his coffee, and before she could stop herself, she walked over and let her arms snake around his waist, from behind him, after which she placed her cheek against his back. Her eyes closed as she let herself stand there for a moment, just taking it in, letting herself enjoy that she was in fact back to the real world, that she could start living her life again, and she could do it with one she cared and truly loved. “I love you, Oliver” she whispered turning her head, so she could bury her nose into his shirt, taking in his lovely scent.

He heard how she approached and thought she might just have stopped to think a little, and only just turned his head when she got all the way over to him and wrapped her arms around him. A soft chuckle left him, taking in the loving feeling. He could prepare his coffee with one hand, which made him simply place his left hand on top of hers. The words that left her gave pleasurable chills down his spine. “I love you too, Madelaine,” he replied with a soft voice giving her a small squeeze. His heart was almost making backflips of joy. “I really love you,” he told her.

The smile grew on her lips as he said it back to her. Her eyes closed, taking in everything he said; every word swirled around in her mind as a soft blanket was pulled over her and ensured she felt safe. Maybe they had gone through hardships, and there were skeletons in Oliver’s past that would test the both of them, but if they could get through what happened with Florence, she was sure they could get through everything.
“I really love you too,” she chuckled before letting her head force her way underneath his arm so she could look up at him. “Hi”, she hummed with a wide smile on her lips, finding herself rather silly, but she felt like something had lifted, that she could see a future instead of dread and fear. A future with the two of them, children, marriage. She could see it all, and it didn’t scare her anymore, nor the thought about that he would be the only man she would ever want; in her mind already, there would never be another man she would want more.
She got out again and turned around, placing herself against the counter, with her backside pressed against it. “And I will never love anyone like you; you know that, right? That I want you, and that I’m not afraid – I know, that you have been incredibly patient, I just, I wanted you to know that I’m sure – About us,” she said the last words almost as a whisper, and even then it felt like the loudest thing she had ever said in her entire life.

She forced her head underneath his arm which made him chuckle at her being silly. “Hi,” he greeted back. He loved to see how much she had started to bloom and glow. It was contagious and even helped his own mood. She got out of the hook of his arm and his eyes followed her until she stood with her backside to the counter. He pulled a smile. One that he felt like quivered but was uncertain whether or not it was visible. He could even feel how his eyes almost got heated, from wanting to shed glad tears. His eyes however didn’t change or start to glisten more. At the small pause between what she was certain of, he looked at his coffee, but his eyes quickly moved back to her as she revealed what she was certain of. He could feel how his heart beat quicker, and how the pull felt stronger. He turned and leaned his hip against the counter, finding her hand to hold softly. “You know… Ever since I found you here, I knew that fate had made its last call. Firstly, because of our marks… Secondly, we found each other again after those years,” he said softly. “But most importantly, because I have never loved a woman as much as I love you – mark or not,” No, it wasn’t because he wished to combat her in who could declare their love the most, but he simply wanted to explain to her, how certain he was that this was it.

It was like she couldn’t really breathe, as if the air wouldn’t fully get down into her lungs. The words resonated so deeply in her that she had no words as she stood there and looked at him. Knowing that she shared the same love for him as he did for her. It was almost comforting in a way; people always wonder if their partner loved them as much as they did them.
She took a step closer, lifting her head so she could place a small, tender kiss against his lips. “You always knew how to make me feel better”, she whispered as she pulled slightly away, giving him a small smile.
“Will you marry me?” she asked, not being completely serious as it wasn’t really how she imagined she would propose or if he wanted to propose; how he would do it, she would think. She only knew he had been married, at least once, not how it had been done or how many times how long ago it had been since he hadn’t been able to actual marry Gemma before she had died. She suddenly became uncertain if she had actually told him, that she had been in the car when she had died, had she even told him anything? No matter, they would come to that; they had their entire life ahead of them, didn’t they?

Oliver couldn’t help but pull a smile as Madelaine stepped closer and he didn’t hesitate to kiss her back, feeling the tenderness and the calm love they had. Such a kiss carried a lot of feelings. “Anytime,” he spoke softly.
“What?” he wondered with slightly furrowed brows. With his dark brows, it could easily look like a lot more. “I mean, yes,” he said shaking his head a little from his own confusion. He felt like the question came unpredictably. His eyes found hers, connecting with them, “Yes, I want to marry you, Madelaine,” he replied with a happier and much more serious tone. “I-” he furrowed his brows a little once more, before he took her hands in one of his, leading her outside on the terrace, telling her to follow. One hand on his back. Now, this wasn’t really how he had thought about this. Even though she was a grown woman, he had believed he would have to wait at least a year before he could ask such a question, But he followed her lead. He was always looking forward to when she caught up to him, though he would never pressure her to go any faster than she wished to.
Even though it was the early afternoon, the sun did its wonders, giving both of them a radiating glow, with a beautiful sight out toward the sea. With both of her hands in one of his, he kneeled down on one knee, and out of thin air, the small velvet, emerald-green box appeared in the hand on his back, that he pulled up for her to see. “Madelaine Savannah Jackson,” he said looking at her with a wide smile, “I want us to spend the rest of our lives together. Side by side,” he said, pausing for a moment. Now, even though he had phrased these sentences for a while and would take them to the grave if the time wasn’t right, he had lost the words for a moment, just looking at her in this situation. “Will you make me the happiest man in the universe,” he opened the box, “And do me the honor of becoming my wife?” he said, feeling completely out of air. His palms had gotten a little sweaty. The box’s insides were of white satin and contained a golden ring with her favorite gem and a few diamonds around it. There was a perk of being an old fart. Inside the ring, opposite the gem were their initials.

She couldn’t hold back her smile nor the laughter bobbling in the back of her throat as she saw how taken aback he was. She, however, understood why he was.  
It had been said in the spur of the moment, not something she had thought through, but she also knew that she wanted to, so why wait? What was stopping them now that they knew they wanted to be with one another for as long as they were granted. What she hadn’t expected was the fact that he took her out on the terrace of the backyard. Blinking a little, she didn’t understand what was going on; what was he playing at?
But he didn’t make her wait long as he got down on one knee, pulling out a small box in a beautiful emerald-green velvet coating. Was this real? Why was she getting so emotional when she had just asked him the same question, even if hers hadn’t been meant as they should get engaged right there and then. Sob left her, and her hand found her mouth as she nodded, blinking away the tears running down her cheeks. Finally being able to speak, she took away her hand “yes, I would love to”, handing him her hand so he could place the ring on her finger.

Seeing how emotional she got, stirred in him. It only made the nervousness increase, because what if, what if she just thought it was a nice thing, but truly wanted to wait. Now, he would understand if she denied it and told him to wait, but it would still hurt, just like everything else hurt a little. But he had gotten used to it, and he didn’t mind the wait.
An almost quivering smile spread on his lips as she agreed that she would love to. He took the ring out of the box, and as he did so, the box vanished back into the spot where he had hidden it. He let the ring slide on her finger, fitting like a glove. He then got up on his feet again, letting her take in the look of her wearing the engagement ring for a moment before he would lean in to place a kind and loving kiss against her lips. Maybe he had taken her question too seriously, but he knew, he knew that this was it. There would be no other.

Her arms folded around his neck, pulling him closer, her lips parting for him so she could take him in. She wanted to be as close to him as possible, flaring in her chest as heat formed and washed over her entire body. She could taste the saltiness from her tears that wouldn’t stop falling from her eyes and gliding down her cheeks. But for once, she could say that it was from happiness and not sadness—which on its own was the most fantastic feeling.
Finally breaking the kiss, she glided down on her feet and looked up at him. “I love you so much,” she said with a smile and then a soft chuckle left him “now we just need to figure out what to do with Sterling and the Jade situation” she giggled, knowing just how uncomfortable Oliver had been when they had found Hannah by the bakery and then gone home to her and Sterling. Where unfortunately for Oliver, Jade was, because she was apparently dating her brother. Which, if anyone knew the two of them, didn’t really come as a surprise. Hopefully, everything would turn out fine from here on out.

She pulled her in, and the warmth immediately started to spread in him, the warmth that he had kept a lid on for a long time, both with Madelaine and with Gemma. On the other hand, he was certain that he could keep things at bay for much longer. As long as she needed if he had to be honest. Just like her, he could taste the salt from tears, but without even opening his eyes, he knew it was happy tears. He could even feel it on her lips and the way she kissed him.
Their lips left each other, even though they hungered for more. “I love you too,” he said, feeling completely high on the moment. But it was almost like Madelaine put a needle to the balloon of how high he was because the mention of her brother and his former love interest was something he at least hadn’t seen coming. “Yeah,” he sighed, still feeling odd from the high he had felt like he was in. “I might just need to apologize to her,” he said and furrowed his brows for a short moment. It wasn’t going to be a fun experience. He already prepared himself for whatever reaction she was going to give him. He also knew that she really wanted both of them to approve of them, which thereby made it important to him too.

Her underarms rested against his shoulders while her fingers gently followed the soft curves of his hair. She had always loved playing with it.
“Jade easily forgives, not very good at staying mad at anyone”, she hummed, giving Oliver a small smile “don’t be so hard on yourself, she had one that was much worse than you” not that it would be much better, but it was the truth. It was the same story over and over, a blue-eyed girl, so innocent and pure. Big heart and just wanted to see the best in people, ending up getting burned. Now with Angel turning up, she was just wondering how Jade was dealing with that. It was after all ten years she and her brother had been together.
But no matter, it wasn’t really something that they needed to worry about now. “No matter what, nothing will keep us apart this time” she whispered before pulling him back down into another tender and passionate kiss.

He looked at her, with hope in his eyes as she told him that Jade easily forgave. He nodded a little, even though he believed that Jade should learn to accept an apology and not necessarily forgive. Oliver had after all hurt her feelings and run off with no real excuse. “Oh no, that can’t be good,” he mumbled, feeling sorry for Jade that she had had one who had been worse than him. However, he had this feeling that it might be the partner who had been unfaithful, even though it was unsaid.
Madelaine assured him about how nothing would keep them apart now. It eased his mind, while it also made him think of thousands of things that could happen. Constant reminders of enemies he had gained through his life and how he simply wished the best for Madelaine. He didn’t get to reply to her assurance before her lips had found his tenderly. A relaxed sigh left him, feeling completely relaxed at the moment, agreeing with her. Nothing was going to keep them apart. Things seemed so natural for him, and he didn’t waste time with pulling her closer, staying in the moment.

She knew this was it; this was what she had been searching for her entire life. Maybe she hadn’t lived for nearly as long as Oliver had, not made as many mistakes or even lived as many different parts of herself as he had. One could argue that given that she was now a created witch, she could go out and live her life for a couple of years, make her own mistakes, try something new and then come back to him when she had done that. But even then, she knew that all roads she would take would lead her straight back here, to him.
Madelaine kissed him back, deepening the kiss. Her hands fumbled backwards until they found the corner of the counter. With a bit of trouble, she managed to get herself up on it, only breaking the kiss with a soft chuckle as she did. Then she pulled him closer, letting their tongues meet each other this time.
She was sure. As sure as she had been when she had said yes, and he had put the ring on her finger. She didn’t need to wait; all she needed was to know she didn’t want anything else.

She deepened the kiss and he followed along, even so, when she got up on the counter. He chuckled with her about the small trouble she had with getting up. His hands found her hips as she pulled him closer. A sigh left him as their tongues met. He pulled her hips a little closer to him feeling how his heart started picking up speed. Close wasn’t close enough. It was hard not just to give in to the bond. He wished to respect her boundaries and knew very well how much would mean to have them connected. It wasn’t just like everything else. They couldn’t just leave each other. They would always find each other. She was his final destination. He managed to gently bite her lip, “Madelaine,” he whispered between the kiss “This is getting difficult,” he whispered feeling how heavy his breath had already gotten.