Breathe

The Aftermath Part 15

10 days later, when they were both well enough to travel, they were flown back to New Zealand. They were both taken to the Linton army base to be debriefed despite Logan's pleas that Safiya be taken home to her family. They were assured that her family was on their way to Palmerston North to see her, and they only needed a couple of hours of her time. Soon, she was taken back to the hospital to check her wounds and her family arrived. They were briefed before being allowed in to see her and they met Logan for the first time (not the best circumstances but what can you do?).

Five weeks after being rescued the branding wound had healed.

2 months after returning the stab wounds had mostly healed but were still slightly raised.

6 months after being rescued, they were both doing well. Or, as well as they could be. The whipping wounds had stopped thickening and the stab wounds had healed but were still slightly raised. Therapy – both physical and psychological – was going well. They were currently staying in Logan's house in Napier, taking care of the animals while Logan's parents were enjoying a second honeymoon. A package had arrived earlier that day, but Logan had refused to show her what was in it. He had taken it away, opening it in the privacy of the bathroom. Now, he walked up behind her on heavy footsteps so she knew he was coming and wrapped his arms around her.

"Hey," he whispered, kissing her neck softly.

"Hey," she echoed, rubbing his arms.

"I have something for you..." he said softly.

"What is it?"

He didn't voice a reply, instead running his hands up to her neck, fastening a collar.

Safiya inhaled sharply as she turned around. "Are you... is this... really?" she breathed.

Logan nodded at her, smiling as his arms moved to her waist. She threw her arms around his and he breathed her in. He let go, kneeling before her, pulling out a fine chain with a light blue gem on it. "This," he said picking up her foot to rest on his knee, "is your eternity jewellery." He looked up at her. "If you'll still have me?"

She looked down at him, practically glowing and blinked once. He smiled as her eyes moistened and he fastened the chain around her ankle. He showed her the small pouch he had received for the keys safekeeping, attaching it to his keychain.

Safiya wrapped her arms around his neck again as he stood up. Logan spun her around, murmuring "move in with me." She pulled back and he set her back down.

"What?"

"When we go back down to Palmy in two months. I want to be with you all the time. Move in with me." He repeated.

Safiya didn't move and Logan felt his heart fall, before she turned to him, saying the greatest word in the world. "Yes." She kissed him, "yes, yes, yes!"

Pure ecstasy. That's what this moment was.

Two months later, after spending the summer with each other, they did just that. They moved into a flat of their own. Their stab wounds had faded to fine-lined white scars. One month after moving in together, Safiya covered her branding with a tattoo, taking inspiration from Logan's tribal design. It was her way of 'branding' herself with his essence. She cried the whole time, holding Logan's hand as the needle went in and out. It wasn't the pain of the tattoo, but the pain of the memory attached to the branding. The healing of the new tattoo and what it represents to her. That even if the couple broke up, he had still helped her get through the worst time in her life. She might have only been there because of him, but she had also helped him. They had helped each other and that was enough to convince herself to get the tattoo with his inspiration. She loved him, with everything she had. Not just because he had helped her through that time, but because he made her see the best in herself. She loved who she became when she was with him. She had thoroughly researched tattoo artists. Somebody who had experience covering scars and who wouldn't ask questions. He was patient and kind and the overall experience with him was amazing and she knew she would come back to cover the rest of her scars.

1 year after returning, the words that had been etched into her skin had faded to fine-lined, white scars and she covered them with tattoos. She covered 'prisoner' with an infinity sign made up of smaller infinity signs in rainbow. She covered 'whore' with an archery inspired tattoo and she covered 'fat' with turtle tattoo. Safiya's cigarette burns had faded into little white circles and were ever so slightly raised.

6 months after living together

Logan took her to the beach on their 18 month anniversary. Not to swim, just to sit and listen to the waves. An hour after they arrived, it started to get dark. The stars came out, one by one, poking through the velvet sky like a needle poking holes in fabric. Safiya leant her head on Logan's shoulder, her back leaning against him, his arms curled around her. Logan pushed a kiss to her forehead and then frowned.

"What?" She asked twisting to look at him, feeling the movement on her head.

"What is that?" He nodded to something in the waves.

Safiya sat up. "No idea." It was her turn to frown. She jumped up, walking over to find it was a note inside a bottle. Of course. She looked up at Logan who had come to join her. "Did you do this?"

He shook his head. "I have no idea what it is." She was sceptical but he looked convincingly innocent so she popped open the cork. With a bit of difficulty, she managed to pull out the note. Unravelling it, she looked back up at Logan. She glanced down, reading the note with the light of the half moon.

I would rather share one lifetime with you, than face all the ages of the world alone.

Arwen said that to Aragorn before she gave him the Evenstar necklace. She turned around, finding Logan beside her, on one knee.

She gasped, bringing her hands up to her face, tears threatening to fall.

He took a deep breath.

"Safiya, we have been through so much. Both together and apart. What does Amy say? 'As long as you're with the right people, you can handle anything. And you, Safiya Ashia, are the right person for me.'" Safiya started crying and laughing. "I love you more and more every day, something I didn't believe was possible till we met. From the moment I met you, I knew I wanted you in my life forever. Like Arwen said to Aragorn, 'I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the ages of the world alone.' Safiya Atermis Ashia, would you do me the honour of marrying me?"

Safiya fell to her knees in front of him, weeping, and threw her arms around him. "Yes. To the moon and back remember?" She kissed him passionately and he wrapped his arms around her. They broke apart long enough for Logan to slip on the dainty, stunning ring he had purchased onto her finger. It fit perfectly.

2 years after the whipping the scars had flattened to the point where you could just feel them if you ran your fingers over the skin. A month before they were married, Safiya got a new tattoo. The sword from Lord of the Rings down her spine, with the tree of Gondor on the hilt, and elvish writing around the tree – 'renewed shall be blade that was broken', and 'Only you can decide what breaks you'. and Logan got his existing tattoos redone, touching up the bits that had been ruined with the scars.

2 months after that, they were married. They received matching tattoos, saying "To the moon and back". Logan got his above his heart, Safiya got hers on her wrist, where she could always see it. 1 year later, after completing her postgraduate study, Safiya was pregnant with their first child.

5 months after Safiya learnt she was pregnant, Lyra and Logans best mate, Samiel, threw them a gender reveal party. Everybody was there, Safiya's whole family, Logan's parents and all his mates and a few of Safiya's close friends. Safiya was so excited and Logan loved to see her like this. He couldn't stop smiling at her, jumping around everywhere as well as she could. Pink, blue and rainbow balloons were dotted around the place. Rainbow to remind everybody that no matter what they were having, this was only the gender assigned at birth and their little one could change their mind if that is what they wanted. The party was archery themed and for the reveal Safiya was to shoot an arrow through a rainbow balloon. She bounced up and down on Logan's arm as he looked down at her with so much love. Lyra bought Safiya her bow and arm guard and Safiya beamed at everybody before loosing the arrow. It hit the middle of the balloon and a splatter of blue paint filled the canvas. Safiya screamed with joy and Logan raced over to embrace her. They wept and hugged each other as everybody came over to say congratulations on their baby boy. The soon to be parents were ecstatic. They had both wanted a boy. When he was born, they named him Kian, meaning God is Gracious.

Thank you so much for reading! Please let me know what you think of this story! I really appreciate any feedback!