Laughter [Tobuscus/Toby Turner]

Epilogue.

Three Years Later;

My eyes fluttered open against his chest, his heartbeat resonating through me. I could hear his breathing, deep and shallow, a sure sign of sleep, and I reached up and kissed him on the cheek, brushing his hair out of his eyes. His breath hitched, and he scrunched his nose up as his eyes opened slightly, slits in my direction.

Hazel. Full of life.

I kissed him then, feeling him smile against my lips, his bare chest against my bare one.

"Last night was..." he started when I pulled away. "Fun." I nodded, running my fingers through his hair, looking around the strange hotel room. My reception dress lay crumpled in the corner, messily dropped beside his suit, a picture of love and romance and "the first night." I shifted comfortably against him, tucking under his arm and sighing.

"I love you," I whispered, looking up at him, and he bent down to kiss my nose. I thought of last night, all the passion and love and hope between us, an unopened condom box and an agreement that would change everything.

A baby. A child that we both would love and cherish and raise on our own.

I stood up to go to the bathroom, not bothering to put underwear on, not caring. A box of pregnancy tests lied out on the counter, waiting to be used. I hastily grabbed one off the countertop and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind me.

*

Waiting led to hoping, and hoping led to impatience, and impatience led to answers.

My stomach flipped and I had to hold back a scream, biting my lip and heading back out into the bedroom to find Toby waiting for me, his elbows on his knees, his face in his hands. When I cleared my throat, he looked up, his eyes wide. "Well?" he asked, expectant, excited. I was tearing up.

I nodded.

He stared at me, his face stony, and then he stood up, crying suddenly. "I'm gonna be a dad?" He asked, his voice shaking, and I nodded, feeling tears on my face as well. He ran a hand over his face. "Wait, what am I doing? You're gonna be a mom!"

Before I knew it he was running up to me and spinning me in a circle, and we were both laughing and crying, and I just kissed him hard, because after years of hurt and sorrow and sadness...

We were alive.