The Calm Before The Storm

~Epolouge~

~Chloe~

As the waves lap at the quiet, calm shores of Arcadia Bay, the sun begins to slip behind the horizon, painting the sky yellow and gold. I watch from the edge of the cliff, looking over the entirety of the small town. My wife stands beside me, her small body quivering from the chill wind. I pull her closer, wrapping my arm around her waist and pulling her to my side. She looks up at me and smiles... god, that smile gives me life... She's my life. "Ready?" she asks. I nod and turn to her, pulling out a scrap of paper from my pocket and clearing my throat as I do so. "Maxine Caulfield," I begin, "Time does not exist when I am with you. Our world... our lives have always been intertwined. The first day I met you was the first day of my life because... I never had a life until I met you. You are, and always will be my life. I've always dreamt of the day we would be together and now... that dream has become a reality. I didn't fall in love with you... I walked into love with you, with my eyes wide open, choosing to take every step along the way. I do believe in fate and destiny, but I also believe we are only fated to do the things that we'd choose anyway and I'd choose you. In a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in any version of reality, I'd find you and I'd choose you,". Max smile and wipes at her eyes, touched by my words. "I made a promise 25 years ago that I'd always be with you, that I'd never let go... and I've kept to that. Through thick and thin, through the good times and the bad, I will always be with you. You are my all, Max Caulfield, and I cannot wait to spend the rest of our lives together,". Max's smile grows as she giggles through her tears, "Huh, is it bad that I'm crying more than I did the first time you read this to me on our wedding day?". I can help but giggle too, "Naw... I think our vows mean more as the years go by... they gain sentimental value,". We both sigh wistfully, staring deep into each other's blue eyes. "Come on, now it's your turn," I say, coming up and kissing my wife on the bridge of her nose. She giggles again and takes my hands in hers. "Chloe Elizabeth Price. My Partner in Crime, my Partner in Time... and my Partner in Life. I was blind before I met you and then you came and you showed me down the best possible path in life. The path that led to you. You showed me how to be happy, you showed me what true happiness is. I remember... when we were kids, We'd play wedding with the neighborhood boys and I'd always get stuck with Jimmy Fowler from down the street. But there was one day... one day we changed the rules and I got to 'marry' you. That's the day we had our first kiss... even if it was just a peck on the cheek. From that moment on, my heart belonged to you... even if I wasn't fully aware of it yet. You were my first thought when I woke up, my last thought at night and every moment in between. With every passing second, we're together, I fall more and more in love with you. From the moment I met you, 'till the end of time... you are, and always will be... My Hero. I love you, Chloe Price... Forever,". It's me who breaks down in tears first. It's been 19 years and I still can't handle the pure, raw emotion my wife's words hold. I lean in and allow her to embrace me with open and loving arms. The love that flows between us is just as strong as it was when we first met when I first reached out and took her hand. "Happy Anniversary, my love" she whispers softly, stroking my short blue hair. "Happy Anniversary," I repeat, burying my face into her shirt.

We stand there on the edge of the cliff, the sun now setting on the horizon, painting the world in a blue hue. We stand in the here and now, the past behind us, as lost as the photo that brought us here all those years ago. We stand here, hand in hand. Our hearts beating as one. Our lives intertwined and flowing as one. This is where our story began and in turn, it should end the same. We stand there, staring off into the ever approaching dark... and never look back.

~~~Fin~~~