Stumbling through the dark

Time Is A Funny Thing.

A/N Sorry for such a delay in updating. I had a bad time and wasn't coping. 

Had it really been over a year ago he had been diagnosed with MS? This last year had raced by and so much had happened and  there were still  other things yet to come . Two more months and they were going back on tour. Niall was excited for everything that the future might hold.. Time is a funny thing he thought, as he finished folding the last of his clothing in his suitcase. Sometimes things seem to drag on for so long you'd begin to think it will never come to an end, like the time he was going through Chemo . But the five years of touring with the other boys, that went by in a flash. And now? Now Niall found that each day was precious, not to be raced through. Each and every moment, good or bad, was to be acknowledged. He  now  knew he was strong enough to get through the bad days, hadn't he proved it to himself, time after time? He had brothers who would always have his back, no matter what. And the good days, they'd always be there to share them with him. Yes, time was a funny thing.  This last year had been one of those that had flashed by and yet Niall found he could recall it all, sometimes with pleasure, sometimes with pain. And there had been a lot of pain. But what was it they said?  " What doesn't break you makes you stronger?" He had come so close to breaking, so very close, but he hadn't. He was stronger.  He wasn't entirely quite sure  where the last year had gone to. One moment the band had been planning their hiatus and now here it was, a year later. And what a roller coaster of a year it had been, he thought as he looked in the mirror,  carefully styling his hair , which was now back to its normal length. The band had managed to hold together  when Zayn had left, he had been given the life changing diagnosis of MS, not being able to cope with that  he'd lost it and nearly killed himself only for the experimental treatment to cure MS to take him to the brink of death once more. It was quite a journey but on the way, he had found his angel, his Caiomhe, He smiled at his reflection.

"You ready mate?" Louis stood behind him, his own smile nearly as wide as that of his blond bandmate as he held his little son, Freddie, balanced on his hip.

"More ready than I have ever been in my life, Lou" Niall turned and gave Louis a big grin before gently ruffling Freddie's hair affectionately. "Let's do this". He left the bedroom and headed downstairs where the rest of the boys were waiting. "Don't we scrub up well" he joked. Liam , Harry and  Louis were all wearing grey suits. They all looked incredibly handsome.

"Ready to break the hearts of millions of girls?" Greg asked laughingly as he joined them. Niall smiled up at his older brother.

"Well, I don't really want to do that but hopefully they will forgive me" Niall's eyes sparkled as he spoke. "They  have been pretty good to Caoimhe. She got some hate but most of the fans were too grateful to her for helping me get through everything that they're happy for us"

"Time to go boys" Bobby Horan stood in the doorway looking at all the young men with pride. One blood brother, he thought, and three brothers of the heart. Maura pushed gently past Bobby and enveloped her youngest son in a tight hug. There were so many times when she had come close to losing her baby that she could hardly believe that he'd come through everything. She laid her cheek against his soft hair and hugged him even tighter. Her Niall. Her baby. And now she was letting him go, standing back to allow another woman to  take her baby's heart.

Hoards of fans were outside the church, screaming and crying, waving banners of love and support. Eventually Niall had given the media several interviews where he had told about the experimental treatment he had undergone for the MS, how ill he had been and why he had hidden himself away.He had also  shared with them that he was officially off the market and that he'd found his Princess. He had to smile when he read that the number of girls applying for nursing training had quadrupled as they sought to have Caoimhe's luck and find themselves nursing a pop superstar!. His caoimhe! And soon she'd be Mrs Niall Horan. A huge smile wreathed his face as he waved to fans before disappearing into the church to await his bride.

"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride" Niall needed no second bidding . He wrapped his arms around his new wife and kissed her as the congregation erupted into applause.

Niall blushed tomato red as Harry, Liam , Louis, then Greg,  gave the speeches. Not being able to decide on just one of them, Niall had invited them all to share best man duties along with Greg. They all had embarrassing tales to tell and the wedding guests were soon laughing uncontrollably as story after story unfolded. Louis was making the most of it as he spilled the beans on some of Niall's exploits from the past.Niall giggled adorably as one after another little tale was told. If Niall felt a pang of sadness at the absence of their missing 'brother', he covered it well. He'd sent Zayn an invitation , but it had remained unaccepted. Niall had hoped but.........he sighed quietly to himself. It would have made everything complete if Zayn had been with them but Louis was right, Zayn had moved on and his new life didn't include them.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, it's time for Mr & Mrs Horan to take the floor for the first dance" Harry announced, smiling broadly. Niall grabbed Caoimhe's hand and led her to the center of the dance floor. The strains of "Thinking out Loud" were heard and Niall gasped slightly when he saw that their friend, Ed Sheran was actually singing it for them. His bride pulled closely to him, Niall and Caoimhe seemed to float across the floor, so lost in their own private world that everyone else seemed to disappear. They only broke apart when the sound of applause and laughter brought them back to earth, both blushing furiously.

All to soon it was time to leave for their Honeymoon. Niall had kept the location secret and only Louis knew where they were headed. As they left the reception, Niall and Caoimhe were both touched and  taken back when they found themselves walking under arch after arch of flowers held by a large group of fans. And Caoimhe heard Niall 's whisper " Best fans on the planet" as the entered they waiting car and sped away to start their married life together.

The honeymoon was one of those times that flew by so fast Niall thought he had barely to blink. All too soon he was packing ready to begin their tour. He sighed at the thought of being away from Caoimhe for  weeks at a time. But she was going to fly out from time to time to join him and  they had forever, didn't they?