As the Darkness Approaches the Light

Chapter 15

A/N: I didn't write a full-on sex scene so I didn't label this chapter with explicit content but there is some sexiness towards the end so idk just use your discretion.

Chris and Caroline's wedding planner about had a stroke upon hearing that Caroline would be undergoing a major surgery days before the wedding, but they managed to make the plans and get everything set up around the plans for Caroline's operation. The next ten months flew by with getting everything ready. It was definitely hard for Caroline to go so long without telling her colleagues or students about her potentially regaining her sight. The only other person she did tell was her supervisor, only because if she did regain her sight, she'd need to go on sabbatical for a new months to re-learn how to live as a sighted person.

For the next several months, the wedding and the surgery were all Caroline and Chris could think about; it was extremely difficult to think of much else. Caroline continued to work and Chris continued to tour as usual, but it seemed that every phone conversation they had while they were apart revolved around the wedding or the surgery.

Chris got asked about the wedding every now and then in interviews, and he was happy to give your typical, cliche answers about having a goth wedding and how excited he was to marry the love of his life. In the back of his mind though, he did have a little bit of anxiety about what Caroline's reaction to seeing him for the first time would be. Would he be what she thought he was? Was it the best idea for her to see him for the first time on their wedding day? Would the surgery even work?

Despite his anxieties, Chris knew he had to be supportive.

The week of the wedding and the surgery approached before they knew it. The band came home and Chris made sure that he spent as much time as he could focusing on Caroline and everything that was to come. The night before the surgery, the two of them lay awake in bed, neither of them able to sleep.

Chris takes Caroline's hand, "You okay?"

"Yeah, just...nervous. I mean, if the surgery works, I'm obviously gonna be happy, but...I'm gonna have to re-learn how to live my entire life. That's a little nerve-wracking."

"Hey, I'm gonna be here to help you. Every step of the way. We're in this together, I promise."

Caroline nods. They pause.

"You ever wonder what your life would be like if that one thing never happened?" Caroline asks.

"All the time. What's your 'thing'?"

Caroline shrugs, "What if the endless amount of people in my life that have died didn't?"

Chris pulls Caroline too him, her forehead resting against his chest as he runs his fingers through her hair, "What's got you thinking about that?"

"Well, I mean, it'd be nice if I had any family coming to my wedding. I mean, I know I have Noah, and I have some friends who are coming, but..."

"Hey, my family is your family now. They all love you almost as much as I do."

Caroline offers a small smile and nods.

Chris sighs, "But, I guess you're right...I can't even begin to comprehend how painful losing your parents is, or a significant other, or a child."

"I guess it all happens for a reason, right? Losing my parents certainly made me a hell of a lot stronger, losing Avery led me to you, and I doubt you would've gone out with me if I had a kid."

"Never say never. You would've been a good mom."

"Even if he'd survived outside the womb, he probably would've died by now with how much brain damage there was. Maybe it's better that he died in-utero and I didn't have years of memories with him and then lost him. Or maybe that's a feeble attempt at looking at the bright side."