And Then There Was You (Chris Evans AU)

Welcome Home

Daphne POV

The flight back home was definitely more eventful than the trip out west. We hit some really bad weather which resulted in a lot of turbulence. I was thankful for the extra space in first class, but not thrilled that the vomit bag in front of my seat had to be used on more than one occasion.

"How hard is it gonna be to get you on another plane?" Chris asks as we've finally gotten through the storms. He holds my head in his lap, rubbing my scalp.

I turn my green tinted face up to his. "It may be a while." Thankfully with the storm over the attendant now asks if we'd like anything to drink and I immediately ask for a ginger ale. "Originally I contemplated taking the Dramamine before the flight. Now I'm wishing I had."

At Chris's urging I go ahead and take a dose now in the hopes it will help settle the after effects. If anything it may help me sleep. At this point we are only half way home.

"Guess it's a good thing it's a direct flight," Chris chuckles. "I'm pretty sure you'd have me renting a car if we had a layover."

"You bet your britches," I say as I sip my drink. Setting it down I redo my messy bun trying to set it back in place after Chris lovingly doted on me.

  While his hands are no longer occupied with my hair he pulls out his phone to check his email. "Hmm," he sighs.

  "What's wrong?" I ask.

  "Message from the builder. Looks like they had some rough weather while we were away. Says closing will probably be pushed to mid May," he mentions.

  "Okay. No big deal. You've got to be out of the apartment at the end of April right? And we weren't going to list my place until we had a definite closing date."

  "Yeah. But your house is gonna be too small to store everything in," he reminds me.

  "I'll talk to mom and dad when we go over there tomorrow. I'm sure they've got room for some stuff. It's only a couple of weeks," I assure him.

  He takes his ball cap off and runs his hand through his hair. "I just don't want to be a bother."

  "You're a part of the family now. It's to be expected," I say with a wink. He just chuckles at me as he leans in to kiss me. I press my hand to his chest, pushing him back. Chris looks at me quizzically. "Vomit breath remember."

  "Well swish some ginger ale or chew a piece of gum because I want to kiss my wife," he sasses me.

  I follow his urging with an eye roll as I reach into my purse, searching for gum. In the process I come across a bag of seashells from one of our walks on the beach. A gentle smile finds its way to my lips as I remember the sweet moment.

  Chris and I were about to make our way back to the boat to prepare for dinner. I was still in shock that I had conquered my fear of heights and jumped several times from the structure at Coconut Island.
"Have I ever told you what my family use to do after a hurricane would come through?" Chris asked me as we walk along the beach holding hands.
I shake my head. "I don't think so."
"Mom and dad would pile all four of us into the car and drive out to the beach. We'd spend a minimum of two hours walking the same half a mile area looking for shark's teeth," he said with a soft smile.
"I'd never really thought about that but it makes sense. The storm would push more onto shore," I realized.
"This one time, after hurricane Andrew, we found over 200 shark's teeth in just one hour," he remembered.
"Wow," I say stunned.
"Yeah," he chuckles, "we didn't have power for a few days but we had sharks teeth."
I hear the sadness in his voice. "I'm sorry I never got to meet your parents. I'd love to tell them what an amazing man they raised." I squeeze his hand a little tighter.
"They'd have loved you, especially mom. I can imagine the stories and ideas you both would've shared about your classroom," he smiles at me, wistful. "And dad, he'd have ribbed me hard for falling so quickly." I give him a strange look but Chris just laughs. "No, it would've been all in fun. Trust me, that's how our relationship was, goofing on each other. He did his best not to take things too seriously. I try, but sometimes I slip up."
I remind him his profession of choice is a pretty serious one. "I know," he says. "I think that's one reason why I enjoy your family so much. They remind me a lot of my own."
That statement warms my heart. I know my parents can't replace his but I'm thankful they make him feel like he belongs.
Chris suddenly stops and crouches down towards the sand and shells. Before he stands back up he asks me to close my eyes and hold out my hand. When I open my eyes I see a gorgeous orange shades shell sitting in my hand.
"I can't believe we found one," he says. "The pilot on the helicopter yesterday mentioned a type of rare shell here. Called a Sunrise Shell. The color looks a lot like the sunrise Wayne and I saw yesterday on the ride."
"Reminds me of our sunrise mornings in the mountains," I tell him.
"One shell, two memories unlocked. Think we'll always remember it?" He asks me.
"We'll make sure of it," I tell him with a kiss.

~~~~~
Chris POV

It feels good to be back in Florida, I think to myself as I drive us back to Daphne's house. Well, guess it's no longer just her house. That'll take some getting use to.

  "How are you feeling now, babe?" I ask Daphne. I notice she's leaned against the glass of the window.

  "Still pretty nauseous," she says as she closes her eyes.

  I realize she hasn't eaten much since breakfast. With the time change that means she hasn't eaten in quite a while. "Do you want to grab something to eat on the way? It's been a while since you ate anything."

  She shakes her head no slowly. "I think I just want my bed." Well, at least she's honest. 

  With the rough weather we faced it threw our return time off. It's now almost ten o'clock at night. I can't really blame her for wanting to go to bed soon. I had already sent Scott a message telling him I'd grab Dodger from him the next morning.

  I pull the truck into the driveway, parking it beside Daphne's car. With a quick glance I see that Daphne has fallen asleep against the door of the truck. I leave her be as I unload the luggage and get everything else inside the house. It's dark inside but I just drop the bags in the foyer and turn on the porch light.

  I make my way back to the truck, noticing that Daphne has shifted and her head is now leaning back against the headrest instead of the door. That will make this a little easier at least. I attempt to open her door as quietly as I can before sliding my arms around her body, lifting her out of the truck. She moves a bit but snuggles against me finding her security in my warmth. I use my foot to kick the door shut.

  Careful not to wake her, I carry my bride over the threshold of, I guess, what is essentially our first home together. I close the front door behind me, locking it and turning off the porch light. Without turning on any lights I make a left and head down the hall towards Daphne's bedroom. Gently I lay her down and begin to disrobe her, starting with her sandals. She wore a skirt again today so I carefully slide it off of her toned legs before recovering her with her blanket.  I place a quick kiss on her forehead before retreating to the restroom. I decide our luggage can wait one more night to be put away and slip out of my own clothing. Quietly I slide in on the opposite side of the bed, under the covers. Leaning up on my elbow I place another gentle kiss on Daphne's temple.
  I roll over onto my side, facing away from her. I'd like to wrap my arm around her but I know she doesn't feel well and I'd hate to disturb her. In no time at all I can feel myself drifting off, but not before a small, soft hand finds it's way to my waist and a leg tangles itself in mine.
   I wait to see if she's awake and aware, but her breathing remains steady as I carefully move to lay flat on my back. I lightly move Daphne to rest further against my side, the place she lovingly calls her home.