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Language:
English
Series:
Part 1 of A Cleaved Heart
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Published:
2023-04-27
Completed:
2023-09-17
Words:
70,935
Chapters:
27/27
Comments:
74
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137
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Amethyst of the Heart

Chapter 27: Reprise

Notes:

Hello all! It's been a while! I have decided to end part one of the story here...but I am VERY excited to say that there is much more to come! Thank you x100 to liv for all her help and i hope you all enjoy!!

Chapter Text

Dana woke up to the smell of smoke. Her brain automatically took her back to the house fire she had tended to while in London. Panic instantly set in. Wanting to shake it away, she shot up in bed and scanned the room for any sign of death by fire – ared glow under the door, a thick smoke rising into the air, an unbearable heat, and finally the sound of imminent collapse within the home. But there was none.

Only the sight of winter sun spilling through the curtains and the shuddering of a fresh snowstorm filled her senses. Juliet slept soundly after Stella had kindly gotten up with her despite the exhaustion that was clearly affecting her. Dana had spent more time doing skin to skin, bringing her levels of anxiety down with each attentive feed and bonding moment with her.

Emily was smushed between both mothers, Dana had suggested that her younger brother take her “big girl bed” after he promised to take good care of it. It was an almost comical sight to watch him squeezing into the tiny frame and mattress, Emily staring with a skepticism that Stella recognized immediately.

Once everyone was settled the night was peaceful, save for Dana’s abrupt awakening in response to the ashy scent creeping into their bedsheet..

Slipping out of bed, Dana went to investigate the lingering smell of smokiness, wandering into the kitchen. As she suspected, her brother was bent over the stove with burnt eggs smoldering as he put the fire out. Chuckling softly at the sight, Dana helped put the fire out with one of the metal lids and gave her brother a look before ruffling his red hair.

“Breakfast wasn’t the best idea, was it baby brother…” Dana teased playfully. Charlie scowled at her joke and dumped the scalding items into the rubbish bin whilst letting his shoulders sag.

“Somehow the oil got on top of the eggs and lit on fire…Nathaniel is much better at cooking than I am…spoiled aristocrat problems that I don’t know how to quell…” he admitted bashfully. Dana took in the red spots on his arms where the oil seemed to have scalded him, taking her bin out from the shelf to tend to his wounds..

“Stella does most of the cooking, but she taught me the basics, so I can help you master an egg,” Dana winked while rubbing salve on his raw skin.

Charlie winced but nodded, watching his sister observantly before clearing his throat.

“Now that I have you, Dana, how can I help you with Emily? I know I’m not here on vacation, but you mentioned that you want to keep her with you. Do you think that’s wise given your new baby and need to lie low?”

Dana slowed her hands and found herself looking up at him with tired eyes. No matter how much sleep Stella offered her, she always found herself run down with fatigue.

“I’ll be okay, Charlie. She’s gotten used to it here and has expressed that she wants to stay here. I am more than willing to keep her here, but we will need help. I know it is a lot to ask, but there is an open cottage further north where you and…Nathaniel can stay. It’s safer here for people like us, and you could be close?”

Charlie contemplated her proposition, thinking for a moment before sighing heavily.

“Would we be able to find work here? Are there banks that will employ us?” Charlie questioned. Dana knew this was all logical, but she also expected her younger brother to just pick up and leave just as she had done with Stella.

“With a referral from me? Of course,” she assured while patting his knee. She watched him ease with relief, sinking back into the counter with a smirk.

“Alright then. I will move. Plus, Nathaniel has been saying that he wants to visit here again to see his friend from childhood, he apparently has gotten into some trouble and he wants to be here for him.”

For the first time in a while, Dana felt relief and a hint of…excitement? She knew that all she needed was Stella and her children to be content in life, but having family around made it so much easier to bear the hard things.

 

xxx

 

Stella sat quietly on the sofa with her book and pen, scribbling down nonsense that she figured she could turn into a plot once her brain had the proper capacity to write again. Charlie wandered behind her and smoothed out his simple clothes as he took a seat in the tall chair across from her.It was like he brought magic, somehow helping Dana return to herself slowly but surely. Stella didn’t have any siblings and felt a pang of envy that he had the ability to heal her in ways that she had been trying to do for ages to no avail. Regardless of who could take the credit, she was simply glad that Dana was feeling like herself again.

“Penny for a thought?” Charlie finally urged with a listening ear. Stella swallowed and shrugged at him and set her book down with a sigh.

“I just don’t understand siblings. How do you almost know what the other is feeling without having to articulate it? You came in and had Dana feeling better within a day, you didn’t do anything different than what I was doing, and the color is coming back to her face and she seems lighter. I don’t get it,” Stella shrugged. Charlie chuckled at her observation and leaned back in the comfortable chair.

“It’s not magic, I can promise you that. We grew up together, and somehow you just sort of become in-tune with them. It’s not that different from being together with your partner every day, besides the fact that we share genetics and both hate grapefruits. I can’t explain it, but sometimes having family around can be healing.

Stella accepted the answer and clasped her hands together, letting her head loll back on the sofa. She felt as if her body were finally catching up with her, and all of the aid she had been providing Dana was taking her out in one swift motion.

“Are you and Nathanial married?” she questioned while massaging her temples. She had been thinking about their future following the chaos of Juliet’s birth, Emily’s adoption, and the death of various family members, and wondered what she was missing out on by not being legitimately married to Dana.

They had a daughter together, and no matter who or what came between them, one of them would be forced to take the children and leave the other in the dust. She thought about the terrifying idea of something tragic happening to Dana and not being able to keep their children that she had come to love so much.

“Yes. There are more men in the military who are like us than you’d imagine. We have the ability to marry anyone legally given our status, so they married Nathanial and I. It was just in case anything happened to us, we would be legally recognized as ‘next of kin’ and all that. But more so, it’s important because I love him and want him to be mine forever.”

Stella nodded groggily and rubbed her temples, not wanting to think about the possibility of losing Dana so soon after watching such a swift decline in her. However, she knew that both of them needed one another, even in death, and she loved her enough to commit their life forever.

“If I proposed to Dana, would you be able to marry us? I want to make sure everything is set and cared for if anything ever happens to me. I want to be her wife forever and I want us to be happy and not worry about our future together anymore.”

Charlie pursed his lips and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

“We did it as a precaution, but we also did it because of love. I don’t want you to marry my sister out of fear alone, I want you to do it because you’d want to if all of these other circumstances didn’t exist.”

Stella stared at him for a moment before sucking in a breath and staring the young man down.

“I love your sister so much. My bones ache with love for her, and I hurt when she hurts. I cry when she cries. I feel her joys tenfold, and will do anything to keep them in her life. I can’t accurately describe what I feel for her because it doesn’t do accurate justice to the feeling. I love her, and everything I do is because of it.”

Charlie nodded and bit his lip before glancing over her head with a smirk. Feeling her stomach drop, Stella spun around and stared at Dana who cupped a hand over her mouth. Unsure why she felt embarrassed, the blonde sprung to her feet to meet her and grasp her shoulders.

“I–I uh…”

“I know you love me. I love you as well, and I think we should. It would be smart, but also because I want you to know that you are my one and only, that you’re my forever even when I feel like everything is in shambles.”

Stella blinked at how quickly her love replied, the glow of the fire illuminating Dana’s face in a way that she hadn’t ever seen before.

“So what are you–”

“I want to marry you, Stella. I want to do it. We may not get another chance and I want to be your wife in every way that matters. Just us, together even after death takes us.”

Stella felt her eyes wet as she watched Dana become overcome with emotion. Charlie had given them space to speak, but Stella felt him creep behind her and slide something cold into her hand. Glancing down at the sight of a gold ring with an emerald at its peak.

“Those seem like perfect vows,” he shrugged while Dana watched in awe as Stella slipped the ring onto her finger.

“This is mom’s. She never gave it to me because I never found a husband,” Dana sniffled at her brother who just shrugged. “I don’t even have one for you, Stella!”

“I swiped it before I left, I was bitter at her and needed a way to pawn things off once I got cut off from the family fund. I found a job quickly so it was no issue. When I heard you ran off I figured you had found someone and would need it, clearly I should’ve taken two.”

Stella shook her head and slipped the simple gold band off of Dana’s right hand that she always wore, even at work.

“I will take this, you can buy me some fancy ring later, but for now I will marry you with something that will keep you close forever.”

Dana nodded and leaned in to kiss her, both of them trembling over the complete whirlwind that had happened in the past few seconds.

“So are we married, Charlie?” Stella questioned as she began to come down from her high. The young man chuckled and straightened his stance after grabbing a book from his bag, flipping through the pages until he landed on the one he preferred.

“I must sign this here, and you two keep it safe just in case. It might not be considered legitimate, but it is a legal document so it holds weight regardless of who you love.”

Dana nodded and watched as he signed the license, handing the pen over for the both of them to do the same. Their hands shook as the wind whirled around the house, prompting Emily to emerge from her nap with groggy eyes, confused as to why her aunts were crying.

“You two are wives. It’s forever, and I know you will always hold each other close. Congratulations.”

Dana found herself crying over the whole ordeal as Stella lifted Emily onto one hip, pulling them both close to kiss the weeping woman.

“Even after all this…you still married me,” Dana sniffed while cupping Stella’s cheek with such care. The blonde shuddered at the comment but moved in closer, kissing her softly with as much care as she could muster.

“I would do this a million times over, and each time I would be just as eager and excited to marry you. There is no such thing as damaged goods, and I know you think that you are sometimes, but you are good Dana Scully, and I am lucky to be your wife.”

Dana blinked away her tears and tapped their heads together, the both of them glancing over at their baby who squeaked away in her cot.

“Our lives are far from over, and I know I can do it with you, now as my wife.”

Stella nodded at the comment and squeezed her hand, knowing their life would slowly be moving up and out, leaving their cold winter behind.

 

 

See you in the sequel... xx

Notes:

THANK YOU FOR READING!! PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK IF YOU FEEL SO INCLINED <3

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