Malcolm impressed even himself as he finished his third drink and didn't falter once. He and Stevi sat at their table which was long and took up a great deal of room. A two-tiered cake had been cut into and sampled and some extra desserts had been passed around to the guests. Bits of green holly were strung on poinsettia centerpieces and ice blue tablecloths with fine gold threading covered each table. Instead of celebrating the Christmas season at home with a ham and hot chocolate, Malcolm and Stevi got married instead.
There would be plenty of time to celebrate the holidays in the coming days. Most of the guests had plans come Christmas day so they picked a day everyone would be available. It was hot and they paid a little extra for a strong source of A/C and a tiny ice sculpture. The cold air made for a great contrast to the boiling summer outside. "Great weddin', Mal," Bon said, leaving his nice shirt unbuttoned. "Stevi." He nodded at both of them who were drinking delicate glasses of champagne.
"Thanks," Malcolm smiled. "You're next, ya' know."
"Next for what?" Bon asked.
"To get married." Malcolm laughed when Bon rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"Been there, ya' know," he said quietly, swishing around the contents of his glass. "Fun. But I've moved on. For now."
"I wouldn't be so sure, Bon!" Malcolm called after him as Bon took off after a serving tray hovering over the guests. Malcolm took Stevi's hand and gently squeezed it. "Havin' fun, love?" he asked. Stevi grinned, cheeks a bit flushed from the drink. "Good."
A couple years after her stay at the hospital and eventually the band's house, Stevi looked great. Healthy and happy and finally with a family of her own. One that treated her right and kept her safe. One that made her feel loved. Slowly Angus had overcome his avoidance of her and they became good friends. Bon spoke to her too about...that night...and after taking a few hours to calm her down, the memory still too painful, they made amends as well.
Mark and Phil had taken it upon themselves to write to her almost every week. By now everyone had found their own homes and letters and telephone calls were more common. Malcolm also explained to Stevi about Mark leaving the band and with tears in her eyes asked to see him. Phil picked her up in his car and drove her to Mark's house. Malcolm and Mark weren't on the best of terms at the minute.
Cliff became a good friend too. Her story horrified him and he promised to never bring it up first. Stevi still had nightmares. It was hard not to when most of your life had been a veritable hell.
Malcolm was the best. He was there to comfort her after every nightmare. He was there to pick up anything she dropped or catch her when she fell. And she was honored to be married to him. Malcolm's older sister came up to their table with a large present in her hands. "Sorry, I couldn't fit this on the gift table and I'm excited for you to see what's in it," she beamed.
"Gee, Margaret, ya' didn't have to," Malcolm said, untying the ribbon. He let Stevi unwrap it.
"I wanted to. It's not every day your little brother gets married, you know."
"You've got thousands of little brothers, don't worry," Malcolm said. "One for each day of the year." Stevi pulled out a coffee maker from the box. "Hey, not bad, Maggie," he said, examining it. Stevi beamed. "Thanks."
"I thought you could make tea with it too," Margaret said. "Mum helped pick it out."
"I'll talk to her when I see her," Malcolm said. "Let her an' Dad have fun for a bit." Margaret reached across the table to hug her brother and then she hugged Stevi. Stevi wiped away a few stray tears, still in denial she had found herself a real family.
"It's good to have you with us, Stevi," Margaret whispered. "Mal's needed someone like you."
**********
"Long day, yeah? Let's get to bed....oi!" Malcolm and Stevi opened their bedroom door to find their teenage son (a one year old Saint Bernard) taking up space on their bed. And taking up space was no problem for him. "Get up, ya' meatloaf." The dog sighed and continued to shed some fur on their pillows. "Well....we'll sleep around him." Malcolm took Stevi's crutches and placed them by the wall next to her folded wheelchair. Angus had bought it for her birthday and they kept it around for emergencies. Stevi slipped into bed, their dog raising his head to rest it on her legs. She stroked his ears. Malcolm, who got the tail end of the deal, tried shuffling under the weight of the dog's rump. Stevi covered her mouth in a laugh. "Funny," he muttered, holding back a smile. "Come on, buddy, move it." The dog rolled over, allowing Malcolm to get under the covers properly. "There. Everybody happy?" He reached over to the bedside table and switched the lamp off, bathing the room in darkness. Reaching over the furry beast between them, Malcolm took Stevi's hand. "Goodnight, my love," he said.
Stevi gently squeezed his hand in response.
And they lived happily ever after.
