II. Gods and Monsters

Epilogue

The beach. Oli had always enjoyed his time here since he'd been a little boy. His uncle Joseph had always brought him and Gabe here when they were younger, insisting that he keep up the tradition their parents had started. Now, Oliver was in his late twenties and had brought Charlotte with him to visit the family, so Joseph had obviously insisted on a stroll across the golden sands.

"Laura! Honey! Let Uncle Joseph rest!" Charlotte called out to the little girl now currently hurtling away from Oli's uncle.

She was 11 years old, with brown hair that seemed to be a halfway point between Oliver's pure black hair and Charlotte's fairer, brown hair. She shared their dark brown eyes and had definitely inherited her mother's endless amounts of energy.

"Yeah, you'll give the old man a heart attack!" Oli laughed, hinting at the grey starting to show through Joseph's hair.

"Who you calling old?" Joseph yelled back as Laura collided with his leg, latching on. "Isn't your father rude? Talking to his uncle like that... The nerve..."

Laura giggled, her gleeful laughter intensifying as Joseph lifted her up. Gabe wheeled himself next to Oli, shaking his head in amusement.

"You'd think he'd stop stressing his back, what with being a doctor and all. He knows what'll happen," he muttered, but smiling all the same.

"Let him have his fun. She's his first great-niece," Oli chastised him, placing his hand on his brother's shoulder and once again smiling at the glint of a gold band on his own finger.

"Don't let him hear you saying that," Gabe chuckled. "You know he insists on us calling her his grandkid."

The trio watched as Joseph spun with the little girl, completely forgetting how quickly it would tire him out.

"How did your mum take to her?" Gabe asked Charlotte. "She like her as much as the rest of us?"

"More than," Charlotte chuckled. "Couldn't get enough of her. Dad was the same. Chased her around all day and spoiled her rotten."

"And Joseph seems to be doing no different," Oli smiled.

"Daddyyyyy!" Laura squealed, now charging towards him.

"Speak of the devil," he chuckled, rushing up to meet her. "Hello, angel! Has Uncle Joseph had enough?"

"Yeah, he said I was getting heavy," she replied with a small pout.

"Must be all that awesomeness you carry around. C'mere!"

Laura giggled some more as Oli scooped her into his arms. He used to think he only had room for one lady in his heart, but when he was gifted with his little girl, he realised he hadn't known the meaning of love. His daughter was his whole world, and the sign that from here on out, life was taking a turn for the better. She made his journey worth it. Every time he looked into her eyes, he saw a fire. But this was not a destructive fire as he had become so used to. This was the fire of life. Of youthful mischief and the desire for adventure. And it was beautiful.

"Earth to husband," Charlotte said, waving her hand in front of Oli's eyes. "Did you catch any of that?"

"Catch what?" Oli mumbled, snapping out of his train of thought.

"Joseph's getting ice-cream for us all. Gabe's going with him."

"Oh, no, sorry, a world away. I'll pay for ours uncle, just give me a minute to..."

"Ah," Joseph held up a hand. "I don't think so. That would mean putting down Laura here, and I will hear of no such thing. Plus, I doubt you'll be letting go anytime soon."

He tapped Laura's nose with his index finger, managing to sneak another giggle out of her.

"We'll be back in a minute," he assured them.

"Catch you in a sec," Gabe called, waving to the family.

"In a mo, bro," Oli smiled back.

Turning to the sea, Oli closed his free hand around Charlotte's, making sure his grip on Laura didn't loosen an inch. The three looked out to sea, smiling at the sunlight glistening off the clear water for their own individual reason. Charlotte, because her life had finally settled down, her family now finally whole, Oliver, because his journey had finally come to a close, and Laura because she had her entire journey ahead of her.