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Chapter Text

They both knew where they wanted to go to when they got home from Ben’s house. They went straight for the couch, where they flopped themselves down and both sighed in relief. They also knew that there was something that they needed to discuss: their future. He had asked her to marry him to fulfill his dying wish, but now, he survived the Death Date. Against all odds. Ever since Griffin’s tragic end about a year ago, Ben and Co. had thought that there was no way out of the Death Date. But from what they all had learned from Al-Zuras’s journal about the Death Date, there was still a small light of hope for them.

For Michaela, she had watched Zeke’s condition get worse and worse for the past few months while she was desperate for a cure to save him. The love she felt for him was impossible to describe in words. The fact of losing him to this Death Date tortured her day and night. She had followed the Callings and did everything they told her but how could she follow them when the man that she loved with all her being was slowly freezing to death? Her faith was shaken. And she had defied a Calling, which led to Cal getting kidnapped. But in the end, her mother’s favorite verse echoed back to her. All things do work together for good.
They brought Zeke back, because he had followed his Calling to save Cal. And in honor of his sacrifice, he was revived. Of course, Michaela felt guilty. She knew that she wanted to honor Zeke’s wishes and have him die peacefully in her arms, the way that he wanted to. But instead, he did the most selfless thing that anyone could do: sacrifice your own life to save someone else’s. But at the same time, the Callings brought him back to her. They wanted him to be with Michaela. And she wanted him, more than anything.

He knew what was on her mind. He took her hand in his and with his other hand, stroked her face lovingly.

“Hey, I know.”

“Know what?”

“That you feel guilty. That you knew I wanted to die in your arms, but look what happened instead. I did what the Callings wanted, right?”

She nodded.

“You really did. You saved Cal. But....what about us? What’s next for us? We only got married because you were dying but now....”

“I survived Mick. And to say that I’m overjoyed that I survived is an understatement.” He turned to face her and took her face in both of his hands.

“Mick, we have a very long future ahead of us. I survived. We can live together as husband and wife. We can create all the memories we like. Have a family, to have the life we didn’t think was possible. I want to be with you and only you.”

“And I want all of that too.”

She gave him a sly smile.

“Speaking of celebrating, we need a verrrrrry looooooong honeymooooon. We can go to Chile, Greece, Thailand and anywhere that’s not Jamaica. After all we went through, its time that we need a break. Get away from New York and explore the world.”

He kissed her forehead and smiled at her.

“God, I love you, Michaela. And trust me, we are going to create all the memories we want. I never thought I would find someone who really cared for me but now, I really did.”

She smiled at him and pulled him in for a kiss. She poured everything into that kiss and he responded in kind. When they pulled apart, he was staring deep into her eyes. And she stared into his. She remembered when they had first met a year ago. He was lost and he thought there was no hope for him. That there was no way out of that blizzard or that cave. But her picture gave him the strength to keep on going. And when he had found her, he had no idea then, nor did she, that they were something more.

“I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you too,” he murmured back to her.

The Callings brought them together and they also had no intention of driving them apart. If anything, the Callings wanted them to be together always, facing whatever challenge came their way together.

They spent the whole day on the couch. Planning for their very long honeymoon and talking about where they wanted to go. For the first time in a long time, Michaela felt peace and happiness in her life. She kept staring into Zeke’s eyes relishing the fact that he was alive and that he was her husband and also relishing the fact that there were many happy memories for them in the future.

For Zeke, he never thought in a million years this would happen to him. But he had finally found someone who truly believed in him. Who really cared for him and who really loved him for who he was. Michaela was everything to him. And now, he finally got the chance to have the life that he didn’t think was possible.

As long as they have each other, they could face anything that the world could throw at them. Their love for each other was stronger than anything and nothing would tear them apart.

Chapter Text

The early morning light woke them from a sound slumber. Michaela was up first as she squinted in the early morning light. She perked up as she saw snow falling from the sky. She felt Zeke next to her move towards her and he wrapped his arms around her.

“It’s snowing,” she said, giving him a huge grin. He smiled back and took her hand and led her towards the living room. “Well, let’s go outside and play,” he said.

After putting on some warm winter clothes on, they dashed outside to play in the snow. They first made snow angels and then, they built what Zeke called “the perfect snowman”. It was a perfect snowman, with pebbles for its eyes and buttons and the perfect branches for its arms. While he was finishing with the final touches on the snowman, Michaela snuck up behind him and threw a snowball at Zeke. He turned around and he gave her a mock glare as he grabbed some snow and made snowballs to throw back at her. They chased each other until they were exhausted and worn out.

They found themselves staring into each other’s eyes. Winter had a negative memory associated with Zeke as he had died from frostbite but then was brought back to life again. But now, he was alive and was the luckiest man in the world. And winter could have a new memory associated with it. Spending it with Michaela and creating all sorts of memories. He gazed into Michaela’s ocean blue eyes. He loved her with every inch of his being. He noticed that her nose was starting to get red from the cold. He leaned forward and kissed her nose gently. She looked up at him and gave him a cute but puzzled look.

“What was that for?” she asked him. He shrugged. “Your nose looked cold so I made it better,” he said, with a small chuckle. She grinned at him and pulled him for a kiss. Snow kisses, she later called them. Soft, gentle kisses mixed in with gentle snowflakes falling on their skin.

“I love you,” Michaela whispered. He smiled back at her. “I love you too. And I love snow now. Because it reminds me of you.”

“Snow brought us together, didn’t it?”

He nodded. “Except it was a blizzard. But still, it’s snow.”

She kissed him again, relishing the fact that there were many more kisses in the snow in their future. The snow kept falling down on them, showering so many snowflakes on them. Michaela smiled. She was happy. Happy because it was snowing but also happy because she got to spend her morning with the one person she loved the most in the world.

Chapter Text

When Zeke got home, he noticed Michaela was sitting at the dining room table. On the table was a little gift bag. It wasn’t his birthday or anything special but he was curious to see what was inside.

“What’s this?” he asked her. She smiled at him and gave him a card.

“Read it,” she said.

He opened the card and he gasped and looked at her. “Are you......” he could barely finish as she smiled back at him.

“Yes!!” She handed him the bag and he peeked inside and he saw the positive result. “I’m...gonna be a daddy,” he breathed. He felt tears run down his face as he laughed with happiness. She was crying tears of joy as well as she embraced him. They wiped the tears away from each other’s eyes. “You’re going to be a wonderful father,” she whispered. Still holding on to her, he leaned down and knelt on the ground and kissed her belly. “Hi little one,” he said. “You don’t know me yet, but I promise you that I’m going to protect you and that I will always be there for you. I’m going to be the best dad that I can be. And you have one amazing mother.” He gazed up at her. “Are you going to talk to our baby during the whole pregnancy?” she asked. She couldn’t resist smiling. Her husband was the sweetest. “Of course. Our baby should get to know who we are before they meet us.” He rubbed her belly gently. “I love you, you little munchkin,” he murmured. He looked back up at his wife. They had come so far. So many things had happened to them and now, here they were, embracing the new chapter of their life called parenthood. He pushed himself back up and pulled her close and he leaned his forehead against hers.

“I love you so much, Michaela. And our baby is going to love you so much.”

“And I love you too, Zeke. Our baby is so loved already. I can’t wait to meet our little bundle of joy.”

They leaned closer and they kissed each other softly, relishing this happy moment together. And they both knew there were many more happy memories to make in their future together.

Chapter Text

Michaela was working at her desk at the precinct, working on a case when she smelled Thai food that was accompanied by baby gurgles. She looked up and smiled as Zeke came over with Thai takeout in one hand and in the other hand, had baby Eden in her carrier. “Thought you’d be hungry so I got you your favorite Pad Thai from our favorite Thai place,” he said as he stooped over to give her a kiss. “And Eden was ok during the whole time?” she asked. He shrugged. “She seemed fine. You want to go find somewhere to eat? Your desk seems a bit too small for two people.” She nodded as she got up and grabbed her phone. “Let’s go to the lobby,” Michaela said as she gestured towards the door. “There’s tables over there.” Grabbing the takeout bag so Zeke could hold onto Eden, Michaela led the way to the lobby.

After finding a table, Zeke set the carrier down on the floor and with one foot, he gently rocked Eden as she laughed. Michaela smiled. Zeke had told her that he wasn’t that great with kids but she pointed out how he and Cal had become close. He had to agree with her on that. Zeke enjoyed doting on Cal, Olive and Eden and they all got excited when he and Michaela came over to the Stone house. Michaela opened the takeout bag to find not only her favorite Pad Thai, but her favorite spring rolls. She grinned at Zeke. “You know me so well, Zeke Landon,” she said as she grabbed a spring roll and popped it in her mouth. He nodded as he grabbed a spring roll for himself. “Well this Thai restaurant is the closest thing to the one that we loved when we were in Thailand.” Michaela sighed. She missed Thailand. For six months, she and Zeke took a much needed honeymoon. They visited the three countries on their list: Chile, Greece and Thailand and some other countries in between. In Thailand, they had found this amazing restaurant with amazing Thai cuisine and when they got back to New York, they went on a mission to find the best Thai restaurant in Queens. They found one that was the closest to the one in Thailand and Michaela’s favorite was a Pad Thai and an order of spring rolls. Zeke was more of a spicy Thai peanut sort of person but he also enjoyed those spring rolls.

While they were eating, Drea and a whole bunch of women who worked in the precinct came over and started gushing at Eden. And they all swooned at the fact of how Zeke was rocking Eden’s carrier with his foot and how he could eat Thai food at the same time. “How did you get so lucky, Landon?” one of the women asked Michaela. She shrugged. “Well, first off, my husband is babysitting our niece today and he stopped by to bring me lunch. He always makes my day.” Michaela stared lovingly at Zeke. She was lucky. Zeke had come all the way to the precinct with Eden and some delicious Thai food to lighten up Michaela’s day. Suddenly Eden started crying. Zeke gently picked her up and started rocking her gently while singing the lullaby that his dad had wrote for him and Chloe when he was a kid. Slowly, Eden’s cries were starting to quiet down and she was sound asleep in Zeke’s arms. Zeke smiled at Michaela. “She loves it when I sing to her,” he said softly. Michaela grinned. Eden loved her Uncle Zeke. Zeke made her laugh and his soft gentle voice when he sang her to sleep always soothed Eden. All the women were still fawning over of how sweet Zeke was. “Your husband is literally every woman’s dream,” another woman said. Michaela blushed. “He really is. He’s great with kids, knows how to make anyone laugh, is always there when you’re having a bad day and is always kind, sweet and selfless. And I love him so so so much.” Zeke smiled at her and she noticed a stray tear fall down his cheek. Michaela knew how much her words meant to Zeke. For years, he believed that he wasn’t worthy of love, of having a family or being a decent human being. All that changed the day he met Michaela and her love for him and her undying faith saved him from the darkness that had trapped him.

After a few more words with the women, they left except for Drea who gazed at Eden who was still sound asleep in Zeke’s arms. “You are lucky, Mick,” she said. “You two really are the sweetest.” Michaela blushed. “Thanks Drea,” she said. “I should probably be heading back to work,” she told Zeke. He nodded. “I’m pretty sure Eden would love to get going home, Grace should be over sometime later to pick her up. I’ll see you later Mick.” Zeke put Eden back in her carrier and kissed Michaela on the cheek. “I love you,” he murmured. “I love you too,” she whispered. “Thanks for making my day. And everyone else’s day too. And thanks for the Thai.” He smiled. “I’ll stop by more often.” he said as he grabbed the carrier. “You really should. The ladies really love babies and doting uncles. And I also enjoy seeing my husband and niece so please, come as often as you’d like.” Zeke laughed. “I will.” He waved goodbye and headed off.

Michaela was lucky. Those women were right. She was lucky to have a man in her life who put others before himself and treated his wife to some delicious Thai food. She smiled. Zeke always made her day. And watching him being a caring uncle gave her hope that one day, he would be like that to his own kids. “I’m one lucky lady,” she sighed. She really was.

Chapter Text

I knew when I woke up this morning, today was going to be hard. It was the day that Chloe died. I felt the pain and the hurt wash over me like a giant tidal wave, drowning me in my pain. For years after Chloe’s death, I would turn to drugs and alcohol to numb the pain and part of me wanted to use today. But, there was something different about today than all the other days: I had someone who I could talk to about it. And, she had sensed it.

Michaela and I had this unusual way of communicating. I’m pretty sure it was the Callings or something else, but there were moments where we found ourselves staring into each other’s eyes and we were just silent, letting our thoughts talk for us. Mick had pulled me closer to her and I sank into her embrace, relishing her warmth. In the past months, my condition had gotten worse and I was cold all the time. Mick always found herself trying to keep me warm. She opened her eyes and she took her hand and stroked my face. Her gaze was so soft, so loving. I felt our connection start to work as she stroked my face with such tenderness.

Hey, I know, she said

Know what? I asked her.

It’s Chloe. Today is the day she died, right?

I nodded. It is.

I know you’re hurting, she said gently.

I want it to go away, Mick. I said, feeling hopeless.

I feel the same way about Evie. But I try to think about the good times we had together.

I could tell you so many stories about Chloe, but.... I trailed off. I knew she had sensed my urge.

I’m here for you, Zeke. I’m always here for you.

I know. But, I....I wanted to use.

She nodded, understanding.

They say that recovery isn’t easy. But, you told me that you have a reason to be strong.

I smiled at her as I wrapped my arms around her neck and pulled her closer.

Mick, you’re my reason to be strong. It’s because you gave me a reason to live.

She smiled at me and I felt my heart turn over.

I came back....for you.

She leaned forward and kissed me softly.

Having Michaela in my life was the greatest blessing I could ever have. Her kindness, her huge heart and her undying love for me gave me a reason to be strong, to have faith that I can fight my inner demons. I pulled her closer, kissing her back with a passion that I never felt before. When we pulled apart, we gazed into each other’s eyes. I didn’t want this to end. I stroked her hair and she kept caressing my face, so tenderly.

“Mick....” I whispered.

“Hmm?” she murmured.

“Thank you. For everything.”

She smiled.

“You’re welcome. And Zeke?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

I kissed her again, feeling the urge to use go away as I focused on Michaela. She was everything to me. And no matter how hard recovery was, she was my one and only reason to keep on going. She gave me a reason to fight, to live. Like in the cave. She is my strength. And she always will be.

Chapter Text

It was only three days since Gracie and James had come home from the hospital and each day since their birth, Zeke had been doting not only on his wife, but also spending plenty time with his kids. Zeke promised not only to Michaela and the twins that he would be a good father but he promised himself as well. He was determined to not let his children have the childhood he had. Ever since he and Michaela had gotten married, they thought having a family was impossible with Zeke’s impending Death Date. When Zeke beat the Death Date against all odds, he and Michaela knew they had a chance to become parents. And they loved every minute of it.

When they had learned they were expecting twins, the two of them looked at each other and they cried their eyes out with extreme happiness and emotion. The Callings had blessed them nine months later with Chloe Grace (Gracie) and James Benjamin. Zeke remembered their birth. Mick’s water had broke and he rushed her to the hospital and he got to witness his amazing wife give birth to their two perfect children. Mick had been holding his hand so tightly during the contractions that he was worried she might break his fingers. Luckily she didn’t. And ever since then, Zeke stared at Gracie and James with awe. And on this night, he wanted them to know the lullaby. He pulled out the music box and wound it around. Gracie cooed and James sighed. Then, Zeke started to sing softly and gently:

“Frosty winter into spring, sunny summer into fall, I will love you through them all...”

Before he knew it, the twins were fast asleep. He sensed Michaela’s presence behind him as she gazed at him with love. “They fell right asleep,” she whispered as she wrapped her arm around Zeke’s back. He pulled her closer and she leaned her head on his shoulder. “I guess that lullaby does work,” he mused.

“What lullaby?”

“My dad wrote it for me and Chloe when we were kids. It was actually the lullaby that helped Ben and TJ find him in the first place.”

“Can you teach it to me?”

Zeke smiled at her. “Of course,” he said softly. He took her hand led her to their bed and he tucked her in. She gave him a gentle smile and he felt his heart swell inside his chest. “Here’s how it goes,” he whispered to her as he stroked her hair tenderly.

“Frosty winter into spring, sunny summer into fall, I will love you through them all...”

He noticed that she too fell asleep and before she actually fell asleep, he heard her singing “I will love you through them all...”

And I will love you through them all, he thought as he drifted off to sleep, wrapping his arms around Michaela.

I always will.

Chapter Text

It was a beautiful sunny day in Santorini. The sky was a pale cornflower blue with no cloud in sight, and the waves lapped gently on the shore. Paradise. It was absolute paradise. There was a gentle breeze that blew gently across the palm trees that surrounded the island. The blue domed buildings that were iconic to Santorini shone in the sun’s rays.

On a resort on the top part of the island, Michaela was lying in a hammock, relaxing. This was what she wanted for months on end; to escape New York with the one person she loved most in the world: Zeke. She remembered when they had talked about doing if Zeke beat the Death Date and she had mentioned she had wanted to take a year off and see the world. She remembered when Zeke told her that involved getting on a plane, which Michaela giggled at. But, she had actually done it, she had managed to get on an airplane, with Zeke giving her reassurance that the plane wouldn’t pull off another Flight 828 again. Instead of a year, they had decided to do six months instead. So far, they were only on Week One. They already visited mainland Greece but Michaela wanted to see Santorini. So they decided to spend the weekend there before heading off to Thailand. They spent the morning walking along the beach, hand in hand and dipping their feet into the warm water of the ocean. They also walked into town and bought themselves some souvenirs to take home with them. Towards the afternoon, Michaela headed back to the resort while Zeke went off by himself to get something. He told her it was a surprise. She had grinned at him and he told her to go rest for a bit. So here she was, lying in the hammock, waiting for Zeke to come back from his expedition.

She heard footsteps inside their resort room and she knew Zeke was back. She heard him in the kitchen, grabbing a knife and something made out of glass from the cupboard. She then heard the familiar sound of something being squeezed into the pitcher and a moment later, Zeke came out to the little porch area, holding two glasses of orange juice in his hands. “Hey,” Michaela said as she noticed Zeke walk towards her. “Is this the surprise?” He nodded. “Freshly made orange juice for my beautiful wife and me,” he said softly as he gave her a glass. She took a sip and smacked her lips. “That’s some really good orange juice,” she said as she took another sip. He shrugged. “Figured we might as well appreciate the local goods that Santorini has. And besides, I was craving some anyways.” Michaela laughed. “You spoil me, Ezekiel Landon,” she said as she gestured to him to join her in the hammock. He laughed. “And I enjoy doting on my beautiful wife.”

Zeke took a sip of his orange juice and set it down on the table that was next to the hammock and then climbed into the hammock and wrapped his arms around Michaela. She sighed and she laid her head on his chest. She moved her fingers around in circles on his shirt as he moved closer to her. “I’m so glad that I have you,” whispered Michaela.

“Me too.”

“I’m glad I get to spend the rest of my life with you.”

“I know. We’re going to make so many memories together.”

Zeke took Michaela’s left hand and he rubbed his thumb on her wedding ring. He had started doing that recently, and Michaela loved it when he did that; it brought her comfort and bliss. “So, are you excited for Thailand?” he asked. She nodded. “I can’t wait to visit the mountains, and see the markets and the beach too,” she murmured. He stroked her hair and she gazed into those soft, gentle hazel eyes. “And try some real authentic Thai food. Maybe you could learn some pointers when we get back.” Zeke chuckled. “I might as well.” Ever since the start of their honeymoon, Zeke would cook breakfast and dinner and they would go out for lunch and sometimes dinner. Even though the food from the restaurants were good, Michaela always preferred Zeke’s cooking more and he always bought the freshest ingredients from the local markets. She remembered when he made that amazing rice pilaf, with chicken and rice and feta cheese and sunflower seeds on their first night in Greece. Her mouth watered at that memory. Michaela giggled. “You’re making me hungry,” she giggled as she moved her head and kissed him on the lips.

“Hmmm, hungry for what? Food? Kisses?”

“Both.”

“Well, it isn’t quite dinner time yet, but I could offer you the latter.”

She grinned at him. “Okay,” she said as she pulled him in for another kiss. She ran her hands through his hair and his beard and she felt his hands run through her hair. They paused and looked at each other. “I love you so much,” Michaela whispered. He leaned his forehead against hers and sighed. “I love you too.”

They got off the hammock some time later to make dinner which was a Greek salad and they brought their dinner back to the hammock. As the sun set upon Santorini, Michaela and Zeke were wrapped in each other’s arms, knowing that this was the bliss that they had wanted for so long. This was their paradise and it always will be.

Chapter Text

It was Friday. And Michaela was very happy. She moved across the office in a swift motion, humming some random tune as she grabbed her second cup of coffee. She didn’t notice Jared standing there until he cleared his throat. “Oh hey,” Michaela said as she grabbed the half and half. “How’s the case load?” He shrugged. “It’s fine.” He paused and looked at her. “You okay?” She cocked her head to one side, perplexed. “Oh, I’m excited that it’s the weekend,” she said off handingly. Jared gave her a look. “ I’m going camping with Zeke this weekend,” she said giddily. “And I’m excited because we wanted to escape New York for a bit. And Zeke told me that there’s going to be a meteor shower this weekend so yeah, that’s my weekend.” Jared nodded. “Well I hope you two have fun,” he said, forcing himself to smile. Michaela knew that Jared was still getting used to the fact that Michaela was now Mrs. Michaela Stone-Landon. “Oh I will,” she said as she patted him on the arm. “Have fun with Drea this weekend.” She winked at him and made her way back to her desk.

Later that night, Michaela stopped by the grocery store and stocked up on snacks, especially pork rinds. She knew Zeke loved pork rinds and though she didn’t care for them herself, she knew to buy them for Zeke. After buying the food, she headed back to the apartment.

When she got home, Zeke was in the living room, packing his bags. He smiled at her when she walked in. “Hey,” he said as he walked over and gave her a kiss. “Hi,” she said back. “I bought food.” He grinned at her. “Great! How about you start packing your things while I put the food away? Dad brought the tent over so we got that ready for tomorrow.” She nodded. “Sounds like a plan.” She gave Zeke a smile and went into the bedroom to pack her bags.

The next morning, Zeke and Michaela headed out of New York and ventured upstate. It felt good to get out of the city and have a mini vacation with just them. And camping was one of the things that Zeke had wanted to do with Mick and they finally got the chance to do it. After driving for about four hours, Zeke and Michaela arrived at Cherry Plain State Park. They got their state park permits and proceeded to make their way to their campsite. When they arrived to their campsite, they both gasped in shock. It was a beautiful campsite; a bit secluded from the rest of the campsites with a clear view of the river. “Wow, we got lucky,” Michaela said as she took in the view. Zeke nodded as he pulled her close. “Well, it’s our weekend and let’s make it count.” She nodded and gave him a kiss. “Let’s get the tent up.”

After getting the tent up and bringing their stuff from the car into the tent, Zeke asked Michaela if she wanted to go on a hike with him and she said yes. The park provided lots of trails and they chose a trail that led to a beautiful overlook where they sat, not saying much to each other. The overlook was on top of a hill that had a breathtaking view of the valley below them. Michaela turned to Zeke. “Kinda wished that they had campsites up here,” she said softly. He nodded as he pulled her close to his side and she rested her head on his shoulder. “Me too,” he said. “But our car couldn’t make it up here. If we did a backpacking trip, that would be a possibility but for now, I just want to sit here and enjoy this view with you.” She turned to him and he placed a hand on her cheek. “But, as much as I love the view of the valley, you are far more beautiful.” He leaned forward and kissed her lips softly. Michaela closed her eyes and hummed happily. She put her hand behind his head and pulled him closer to her and she deepened the kiss. When they pulled apart, they stared into each other’s eyes before a low grumble in Michaela’s stomach interrupted their moment. “I think my tummy is telling me that it wants food,” she giggled. Zeke chuckled. “Why don’t we go back to the campsite and make some dinner? That’ll make your tummy happy.”

Once they got back to the campsite, Zeke started making dinner. He had brought some steak and potatoes and a spice mix and he cooked up a lovely buttered steak along with some delicious roasted potatoes with lots of butter, thyme, garlic and rosemary tossed with it. He had also made a simple salad to go along with their steak and potatoes. “This smells amazing,” Michaela said as she grabbed a plate and scooped some food on it. “Well thank you,” said Zeke as he dished some food for himself. Michaela took a bite and nodded. “This is good,” she said with her mouth full of potatoes. “Why do you spoil me?”

“Because I love you,” he replied.

She gave him a smile. “And I love you too,”

After dinner, they built a campfire and started making smores for themselves. Zeke made a smore and gave it to Michaela and she took a bite and sighed in contentment. “Mmmmmmm,” she said as she savored the sweetness of the chocolate and the marshmallows on the graham cracker. “You like it?” he asked her. She looked up at him. “Of course,” she laughed. “Your food is the best.”

“I’m glad you enjoy it.”

She moved closer to him and kissed his lips. They tasted sweet, like marshmallows and chocolate. When she moved back Zeke gazed at her lovingly. “I’m glad you’re here with me Michaela. Thank you for this weekend.” She nodded. “And thank you as well for taking me here.”

Just then, a bright flash of light filled the sky. Michaela gasped as she stood up and stared up at the sky. “Zeke look!” He got up and moved towards her and they watched the meteor shower. “Wow,” he murmured. The Milky Way glowed above them, casting a soft gentle light on them. Michaela remembered that night when they stood under that starry night sky during the lightning storm. She and Zeke had spent that day together, learning more about each other and how the Callings had connected them together. Since then, stars held a special place in their lives. A gentle breeze blew across the river, causing the water to ripple. Michaela turned and faced Zeke. She felt his arms wrap around her waist as he pulled her closer to him. She gazed into his hazel eyes and sighed. He took a hand and pushed a strand of her hair back and he moved closer and kissed her softly. She pulled back for a moment before kissing him again.

As they laid in their tent that night, asleep in each other's arms, the stars shone down on them, showering their soft light upon Zeke and Michaela. Over a year ago, they were complete strangers and now, they were husband and wife. They were truly surrounded by the comfort and protection of the highest power, because whatever force brought them together had no intention to ever separate them from each other.

Chapter Text

The early morning light woke Zeke from a sound sleep. Next to him, Michaela was still sound asleep, her blonde hair covering her forehead. He gently took his hand and moved her hair back without waking her up. He smiled at her. She was so beautiful, so peaceful and just so amazing. Zeke knew that he was truly the luckiest man in the world. For a long time, he didn’t think that he deserved this type of life after all the things he had done, but Michaela changed that for him ever since they found each other all those months ago.

Zeke was an early riser and he knew that Michaela deserved something special on this fine Sunday morning: a nice, domestic breakfast. He still remembered that morning when he made her toast with eggs, avocado with orange juice and coffee. She really enjoyed it, even though their time was cut short due to Michaela’s work schedule. Zeke knew what he was going to make for breakfast: pancakes with fresh raspberries and blueberries with a homemade maple syrup along with some bacon and eggs. And coffee of course. Giving Michaela a quick kiss on her forehead, Zeke got out of bed and took a shower, got dressed and started making breakfast.

For Zeke, cooking was one of his favorite things to do. So much so that one day, he invited the Stones to come to dinner over at the apartment and he made everyone a killer lasagna. Grace loved it so much that she hired Zeke to work at her kitchen. As Zeke worked on making the pancakes, he would peek his head over to the bedroom door and he saw that Michaela was still sound asleep. She sleeps like a baby, Zeke smiled as he flipped a pancake over. He finished the pancakes and started working on the eggs and bacon and he made a fresh pot of coffee.

After getting breakfast all cooked, he assembled it on a tray that Michaela had gotten for him as a birthday present if they ever wanted breakfast in bed. He had two plates that were filled with pancakes, bacon and eggs. On the pancakes, he added some fresh blueberries and raspberries with some fresh mints leaves that came from the little herb garden that he started growing recently. In between the plates was a small pitcher that was filled with maple syrup and a tray of freshly whipped pistachio butter that became Michaela’s obsession. He made his way over to the bedroom. Michaela was still sound asleep and God, she was beautiful. Zeke carefully sat down on the bed without spilling the coffee all over the bedsheets and gently touched Michaela’s shoulder. She stirred. “Hey Mick,” Zeke whispered. She opened her eyes and she smiled at him. “Hi,” she said as she slowly pushed herself up. “What’s this?” she asked as she looked at the cup of coffee that Zeke held out towards her. “I wanted to make you something special,” he said as she took the cup of coffee from his hands and she took a deep sip. She smacked her lips in satisfaction. “Mmmmmmmm, this is good!” Michaela sighed as she took another sip. Zeke grinned. “Stay here,” he told her as he got off the bed. She gave him a pouty face. “No don’t go,” she whined and he laughed. “I’m just going to the kitchen to get our food!” he chuckled. She laughed. “Make it quick!” she said. He gave her a smile and quickly grabbed the food.

Zeke brought the tray that had their breakfast and Michaela’s eyes lit up. “You made this!?” she squealed as she flapped her hands in excitement. He laughed. “I know how much you love my cooking so I thought we deserved a Sunday breakfast in bed,” he said as he gently set the tray with their food on the bed. Zeke slid back into bed and he wrapped his arm around Michaela’s back and she leaned her head against his shoulder. “Thank you,” she whispered. “You’re welcome,” Zeke said as he pulled away and grabbed his knife and started to butter his pancakes with the homemade pistachio butter that he made. Michaela ate her eggs and bacon and she started to butter her pancakes with the special butter and she put some syrup on them. When she took a bite, she sighed in pleasure. “Zeke this is so good!” she said with her mouth full. He grinned at her. His wife was absolutely silly when she ate breakfast with him. “This is so domestic,” she said as she took another bite and a sip of her coffee. “Of course it is!” Zeke chuckled as he took a sip of his coffee. “And I’m happy you love it, Mick.” She gave him a smile that she only reserved for him. Zeke reached out his hand and wiped the traces of food off from her lips. She giggled. She leaned closer to him and she kissed him on the lips. When they pulled back, she had her eyes closed in contentment. “I love you so much,” she whispered as she pulled him closer and kissed him again. He put a hand behind her head and he pulled her closer to him. He felt her hand touch his cheek and they found themselves falling over into each other. Michaela was on top of him and those gentle ocean blue eyes stared back into his soul. He reached a hand out and brushed her hair back from her head. “I love you too,” he breathed as she started to caress his face. “I always will love you and I vow to do that for the rest of my life.” She smiled and he felt his heart turn over. “Same here,” she murmured. “And I will make you breakfast one day too!”

“Oh really?”

“Yes. And you will enjoy it.”

Zeke laughed again as he pulled her for another kiss. He was the luckiest man in the world. And he knew that there would be plenty more mornings like this in their future. As he gazed at Michaela, he knew he got everything that he ever wanted in his life. And so much more.

Chapter Text

It was afternoon. The sunlight shone through the living room as Michaela was reading Jane Eyre, the book that became part of her to read list during quarantine. Zeke was reading War and Peace next to her. Zeke had his arm wrapped around Michaela’s back and her head was leaning against his shoulder. Quarantine was definitely an unexpected thing that happened to them; while it had its downsides, there was a perk to it: spending more time together. Michaela’s work schedule was crazy as a detective but recently, she started to spend some days working at home. Zeke was a part time counselor to local teens who were struggling with addiction and he spent much of his time FaceTiming them on his laptop. And he baked. Lots. He had started getting into breadmaking and he made fresh loaves of bread which made the apartment smell like a bakery. He sent some bread over to Ben and Grace and they told Zeke to bring bread over whenever he wanted, while following safe social distancing practices. Today, he had shown Michaela how to make pizza dough because tonight, they were having homemade pizza for dinner along with a fresh salad and a dessert. Zeke had a timer set on his phone to let him know when it was time to check on the dough. Occasionally he would check his phone to see how much time was left and then he would go back to reading his book

.

Zeke was so absorbed in reading his book, he almost didn’t hear the timer go off. Michaela gave him a gentle rub. “Zeke,” she said as she pushed herself off from the couch. “Pizza.” His eyes lit up. “Great!” he exclaimed as he put his book down and took Michaela’s hand and led her to the kitchen. He grabbed all the ingredients they would be using to make their pizza. He grabbed the tomato sauce that he made up, some fresh basil leaves from their tiny herb garden that they started growing, and some fresh mozzarella cheese. Michaela grabbed the chicken and the barbeque sauce. They were making two types of pizza; a caprese pizza and a barbeque chicken pizza. Zeke grabbed their aprons, Grace gave it to them as a wedding present. It had their letters of their first names written on the front. Michaela thought it was adorable and Zeke definitely thought it was practical. Michaela smiled as Zeke put her apron on her and she did likewise for him. “You ready to make some pizza?” Zeke asked. Michaela grinned. “You sure bet I am!” she exclaimed as she pulled him in for a kiss. “And I also cannot wait to eat it too!”

Zeke worked on the barbeque pizza and Michaela worked on the caprese pizza. Occasionally, they found themselves a little bit distracted at times. When Zeke was done putting one topping on, he would sneak behind Michaela and plant small tiny kisses on her neck and her cheek. And she in turn did the same. After they placed the toppings on the pizzas, they put the pizzas in the oven and let them cook. They had some music playing in the kitchen and suddenly a classic Whitney Houston song “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” came up and while the pizza was cooking, Zeke and Michaela danced in the kitchen and at one point, Zeke lifted her off from the ground and twirled her in his arms. She laughed with sheer joy and happiness. While she was in his arms, Michaela pulled Zeke for a kiss and he responded quite eagerly. This was the life they had always wanted for themselves but they thought they could never have due to the Death Date. But ever since Zeke had beat his, Michaela and Ben knew that there was a chance for the 828er’s to beat theirs.

When their pizza was done, Michaela made a fresh salad while Zeke worked on the dessert which was two raspberry tortes made from fresh raspberries that he found at the grocery store. They set the table together and Michaela snuck a few kisses in between just because she loved her husband. After setting the table, they ate their pizza, salad and dessert and Michaela was seriously enjoying it. Zeke smiled. He loved it when Michaela was herself, full of happiness and compassion. Her compassion, her huge heart was what made him fall head over heels in love with her. For Michaela, Zeke’s good heart and his selflessness was what drew her towards him and the more time she spent with him, the more she fell in love with him.

After cleaning up the dishes, they went back to the couch and they snuggled up to each other. Zeke wrapped a blanket around them and pulled Michaela close to him. She sighed. “Thanks for making dinner with me,” he whispered as he kissed her forehead. She turned and smiled at him. “You’re welcome,” she said softly. “I really love doing this with you. Hopefully we’ll do more fun things like this in the future.”

“Oh we will!”

“I know! And I’m so excited to see what will come next!”

“I love you so much,” said Zeke.

“And I love you too.” Michaela murmured.

They kissed each other and they knew they were both so lucky to have each other in their lives. For a long time, they didn’t think that this was possible but now it was and they looked forward to what lies ahead in their future together.

Chapter Text

I was at the lake. I could feel the familiar wave of emotions hit me as I rewatched the worst day of my life play all over again. The lighting strike, the meth heads and Cal falling into the lake and Zeke, who was moments away from his Death Date, used the last bit of strength he had to save Cal. “Zeke! No!” I screamed as I tried to stop the man I loved with all my being from falling into a cold dark watery abyss. My heart was pounding as I felt an icy cold hand clench around my heart as I watched Zeke jump into the lake and try to save Cal, which he did, but at the cost of his life. As I held Zeke’s lifeless, cold body in my arms, I could barely hear Cal’s sobbing. I was so lost in my grief and pain. “I’m so sorry!” I whispered. “I’m sorry!”

I woke up in a cold sweat, gasping for air. I looked next to me and I saw that Zeke was still sound asleep. He looked so cute and peaceful while he slept, even though he woke up a lot earlier than I did. It was only three months since that night and I still had nightmares from it. I felt a wave of nausea hit me and I ran to the bathroom where I threw up in the toilet. As I was throwing up, I heard the sound of faint footsteps behind me and Zeke’s hand pulling my hair back and the other hand was rubbing my back. After I finished puking, I moaned and I felt Zeke pull me closer to him. I buried my head in his chest and I sobbed and sobbed.

I didn’t know how long I was like that on the bathroom floor until I looked at Zeke. His soft, gentle eyes were traced with worry and concern. “You okay?” he asked as he lifted a hand to push my hair back from my face. I nodded. “I’m ok,” I managed to say but Zeke gave me the look that said that I wasn’t ok. I sighed. “I had the nightmare again.” He didn’t even have to ask which one it was; he knew. “It’s been three months. I know it’s still surreal for both of us, but…” he trailed off. “I lost you,” I whispered. “Part of me died that night. I felt like I was in this dark abyss and that there was no way out. But the Callings brought you back to me. And I couldn’t be more grateful but that moment, it hit me how real it was.” Zeke nodded. “When I was getting treatment,” he started and he paused for a moment to figure out what he was going to say next. “The treatment was painful, but what hurt more was the pain that you were in. I could feel it.” I stared into Zeke’s eyes and I found myself staring deep into his soul. “Watching you suffer was terrible,” I said. “I fought so hard and---” I couldn’t finish because the tears came back and I was crying again. Zeke pulled me closer to him and he rocked me gently like a newborn baby as I cried. Those six months were torture for both Zeke and I. We had finally found happiness with each other and now it was being ripped from us. I was angry at the Callings for ruining that happiness. If they did good, why would they do something like this?

My sobs quieted down again and I felt Zeke pick me up from the bathroom floor and carry me back to the bedroom and he wrapped blankets around me to keep me warm and safe. I snuggled up against him and he ran his hand through my hair. “We’re safe and sound Mick,” he whispered to me. “I promise you, I will never leave your side. I love you so much Michaela.” He kissed me softly on the lips. “I love you too,” I whispered. “And I know that you will never leave me.” I put my head on his chest and I closed my eyes. I knew the Callings wanted Zeke and I together for a reason. The past year was hard, but it was also one of the best years in my life. I found the one whom my soul longed for and we found ourselves falling deeper in love with each other each day. I never want this to end. Zeke is everything to me. He is my world, my soulmate, the love of my life. He made me the person that I am today and without him, I didn’t know what to do. I was safe and sound with him. Always.

Chapter Text

Saturdays were Michaela’s favorite day. She enjoyed sleeping safely in Zeke’s warm and protective arms. She remembered all those years ago when Zeke was dying of frostbite and how she was the one who had to keep him warm. Michaela slowly opened her eyes and noticed Zeke’s head was tucked into her neck. She felt him stir and he lifted his head and he opened his eyes. He gave her the smile that he only reserved just for her. “Hi,” he whispered as he leaned forward and kissed her lips softly. “Hey,” she murmured when they pulled apart. “Did you sleep well?” He nodded. “Yeah I did. But more importantly, how did my wife sleep?” She giggled. “I slept verrry fine,” she said as she pulled him in for another kiss. She rolled over so she was on top of him and she stared deeply into his soft, gentle hazel eyes. Those eyes were so gentle and so kind. She found herself staring deep into his soul and she sighed. She felt his hand brush against her hair. “I love you,” he whispered. She smiled at him. “I love you too.” Zeke turned over and looked at the alarm clock. It was eight o’clock in the morning. “Let’s go wake the twins up,” Zeke whispered. “Remember, we got something special planned for them today.” Michaela smiled. The two of them wanted a fun Saturday with their five year old twins, Chloe and James. Michaela got out of bed and tossed on a shirt and Zeke did the same as well as they made their way to the twins’s bedrooms.

Zeke opened the door to Chloe’s bedroom and saw that she was sound asleep holding her giant stuffed unicorn, Princess Nebula. Chloe’s room was a soft subtle shade of pink and the sunlight shone softly against the walls. Zeke made his way to Chloe’s side and gently shook her awake. “Hey, Chlolo,” he whispered to her. “It’s time to wake up! Your mother and I have something fun planned for you and your brother today.” Chloe opened her beautiful ocean blue eyes. Chloe was the spitting image of Michaela, she had her face shape and blue eyes, but inherited Zeke’s dark brown hair and his smile. “Hi Daddy!” Chloe squealed as she wrapped her arms around Zeke’s neck. “Why hello to you too, little monkey!” Zeke laughed as he picked her up. “Can you give me a piggyback ride to the kitchen?” she asked. “Of course, my little snowflake,” Zeke said as he set Chloe down and she climbed onto his back and he grabbed her legs and he felt her arms wrap around his neck. Chloe and James were born in the winter and Zeke called Chloe “his little snowflake”. He called Michaela “his beautiful snowflake” in private and James was “a little blizzard” due to his very energetic personality. “Alright, let’s head to the kitchen to see what Mommy has cooked up!” Zeke said as he walked out of Chloe’s bedroom and made his way to the kitchen.

When Zeke and Chloe arrived in the kitchen, Michaela was busy making pancakes while James was busy drinking some fresh orange juice. “Hi James!” Chloe said as she waved to James. James gave her a pouty look. “Daddy, do I get a piggyback ride too?” he asked. “Of course,” Zeke said as he put Chloe down in her chair and poured her a glass of orange juice. Zeke made his way towards Michaela and wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck. “Those smell delicious,” he murmured against her neck. She sighed. “Well, I had a good teacher,” she said as tuned towards him and kissed his lips. “A very distracting teacher.” Zeke laughed. “I’ll get the plates,” as he planted one more kiss on her neck. He grabbed four plates from out of the cupboard and grabbed some silverware and a serving tray for the pancakes. He grabbed the maple syrup from the fridge along with some butter. Michaela placed the freshly made blueberry pancakes in the serving platter while Zeke went and made himself and Michaela some coffee using their French press.

They ate their breakfast and the twins enjoyed eating the pancakes along with the sunny side up eggs that Zeke quickly cooked for them. After doing the dishes, Zeke kept his promise to James as he gave him a piggyback to the living room. Michaela took Chloe’s hand and led her to the living room and the twin sat on the couch, looking at their parents with huge eyes. “Ok,” said Michaela as she and Zeke sat down on the floor. “We have something fun planned for you guys today. We are going to play a little game called ‘Find the Princess’. Chloe, I took one of your princess dolls and your daddy and I hid it somewhere in the house. Your job is to find her. Can you do that?” Both of the twins nodded eagerly. “Can we get piggyback rides?” asked James. “For a little bit yes,” Michaela said. “But you guys gotta find the princess.”

Zeke and Michaela gave the twins clues to where the princess could be hiding and they would give the twins piggyback rides on and off again. The twins were clearly enjoying this game and after a quick lunch break of grilled cheese sandwiches, they resumed their quest and at four o’clock in the afternoon, they found the princess. She was in the washing machine which was empty and after a long afternoon of searching for the princess, Zeke and Michaela and the twins all crashed in the living room. Chloe and James slept in the pillow fort while Michaela and Zeke fell asleep on the couch. Around six o’clock in the evening, Zeke woke up and noticed that the twins were up, reading their favorite fairy tale out loud to each other. Zeke smiled as he heard Chloe read one of the lines in the tale. “And when the hiker saw the beautiful girl who’s picture he had seen in the magazine, he couldn’t believe that she was alive, and standing right in front of him.” Next to him, Michaela stirred and she opened her eyes and smiled. “They’re practicing their reading skills,” he whispered. “That’s good,” she murmured. “One day, they’ll realize that the fairytale we wrote actually happened.” “Yeah,” he said. “Eventually they’ll learn about the Death Date. But I promise you, Mick, I will do whatever it takes to keep our family safe.” Michaela caressed Zeke’s cheek softly. “I know. And I’m going to as well. We both will.” She kissed him softly and they got off the couch and made chicken noodle soup for dinner.

After putting the twins to bed and re-reading their bedtime story, Zeke picked Michaela up and bridal carried her to their bedroom where he set her down and tucked her into bed and pulled the blankets up to her. “Today was so much fun,” he whispered. “I know!” Michaela giggled. “Chloe’s reaction to when she found her doll in the washer was priceless.” Zeke gave a small chuckle. “I agree.” He reached over Michaela and shut off the light from the lamp and then wrapped his arms around her and she laid her head on his chest and she fell asleep. He stroked her hair and he sighed. He never thought that this would happen to him in a million years but the Callings blessed him with Michaela; the great love of his life and their beautiful twins. Life had its ups and downs, but Zeke loved the little moments that he and Michaela had with their family. “Good night, my beautiful snowflake,” he whispered as he kissed her forehead. Zeke then closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, knowing that his family was safe and sound.

Chapter Text

The apartment looked so empty and bare as Zeke came to Michaela’s side and wrapped his arm around her waist. She sighed as she leaned her head against his shoulder. “You know, I’m gonna miss this place,” she said softly. “We made so many memories here.” Zeke nodded. “I know. But, we are going to make so many more memories in our new house.” Michaela looked up at Zeke. “We really are. I’m excited. I just wanted to take in our apartment one last time before we leave for our new house.” “I agree with you.” Zeke told her.

Zeke remembered how Michaela invited him to stay here when he first returned back to the city after being gone for a year. He didn’t want to impose but she insisted, convinced that the petrograph that they saw was about them. He had slept on the couch, which became an important place for them later on. It was on that couch where they told each other that they had loved each other. It was also on that couch where Zeke asked Michaela to marry him and she said yes.

The apartment was also the site of the shooting and Michaela felt Zeke tense up as that memory flashed across his mind. Zeke knew Jared wasn’t the man that Michaela needed in her life. He knew that Michaela deserved someone better than Jared and he still remembered what Jared told him. “With you? A busted junkie?” Zeke knew he was so much more than that and that comment really made him mad. But what hurt more was what happened afterwards. Mick had walked into the door and he accidentally shot her in the stomach. He had felt so guilty about shooting her, she was the last person he had ever wanted to hurt and it broke him when he had shot her. But, Mick knew that the shooting was an accident and Zeke was impressed at her when she took down Jared in court, exposing his actions and how he was the one who had caused the shooting to happen. Now these days, Jared had become a friend to both Mick and Zeke but things were still somewhat awkward between Jared and Zeke. After all, Zeke was now Michaela’s husband.

Mick looked at the spot where their dining room table used to be. It was at that table where they shared their first kiss and where Zeke told her about the frostbite. It was also the site of their meals where they joked and laughed with each other. Just then, Ben came up behind them. “Truck’s all packed up. Ready when you are.” Zeke turned around and gave Ben a quick nod. “We’ll be down in a bit.” Zeke took Mick’s hand. “We should probably head down and get going.” She nodded. “Yeah.” Taking one last look at their apartment, Zeke and Mick headed out of the apartment and closed the door on Apartment 414. They were both excited to move to their new home in Forest Hills where they could begin a new chapter in their life.

After driving for about twenty minutes, Zeke and Michaela arrived at their new house. It was in a very quiet but beautiful neighborhood of Forest Hills. Their new house was a red brick Tudor style house with wood trim and a red shingled roof. Michaela and Zeke fell in love with the house when they first saw it and when they toured inside it, they knew that house was going to be theirs. The kitchen was big and spacious and Michaela jokingly told Zeke that he was going to have a lot of fun cooking in the kitchen and he had agreed with her on that. Zeke, Ben, Michaela, Grace, Olive, Cal, Michaela and Ben’s dad Steve and Zeke’s parents, Priscilla and Gordon helped bring all of Zeke and Michaela’s stuff inside. Grace, Cal and Olive worked in the kitchen, putting all the cups, plates and silverware in their respective spots while Ben, Zeke, Steve and Gordon brought all the heavy furniture with the moving men. Michaela helped out with guiding the men to where to put the furniture. After a long afternoon, everything was brought in and most of the boxes were unpacked save for some little things like pictures and little trinkets from their honeymoon.

It was about seven in the evening when everyone left and it was just Zeke and Michaela. Michaela had made their bed in the master bedroom, which was located upstairs and it had its own bathroom attached to it. There was another bathroom down the hall along with three bedrooms. They had explored each room and they both imagined their future children running down the halls, filling it with laughter and joy.

They made their way to the living room where their yellow couch sat right by the window. The window was big, perfect for letting the sunlight in. The living room walls were white and Michaela was already imagining where to hang up their wedding photos along with their honeymoon pictures. Zeke took Michaela’s hand. “May I have this dance?” he asked. She grinned. “Of course!” Zeke opened his phone and found their wedding dance song on Spotify and he and Michaela slow danced in the living room. They slowly made their way to the kitchen where Zeke twirled Michaela around in his arms. “Do you like our new home?” he asked her. “I love it. And I can’t wait to make so many more memories here with you and our future children.” Zeke smiled at her. “I love you so much,” he whispered. “And I love you too.” They looked into each other’s eyes with such tenderness and love and they leaned forward and kissed each other. As they kissed, Zeke spun her in his arms and they giggled in between kisses. They had come so far in the past year and now since Zeke survived his Death Date, they both knew that there were so many happy memories and moments that they were going to make in their future. And they were looking forward to them.

Chapter Text

The full moon shone across the bridge where Zeke and Michaela were walking along, hand in hand. Michaela had one hand on her bump, and she rubbed it gently. She felt two kicks and she gasped lightly. “They’re feisty tonight,” she said. Zeke grinned. “They definitely inherited that from you,” he whispered as he leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “And they inherited your obsession with pork rinds. That’s probably why they’re kicky. They’re hungry.” Zeke smiled and pulled from his coat pocket a bag of pork rinds. He knew Mick always needed some because the twins were constantly craving them. Michaela took the bag from Zeke and took a couple pork rinds from the bag. “You want some?” she asked as she chewed on the pork rinds. “I’ll have one but they’re for you though, love,” he told her. “I know. But, I want you to have some too.” Zeke smiled at her and took a pork rind from the bag and munched on it happily. He wrapped his arm around her and they kept walking under the moonlight. There were string lights that were wrapped around the bridge and wooden posts and beams that held the bridge. It gave the resort a very whimsical and magical feel.

There was a gazebo in the middle of the resort and there was a stairway that led to the top of the roof where one could look at the Smokey Mountains. Zeke took Michaela there and they stood on the balcony, not saying much. There were moments where words didn’t have to be said between them. Silence was good. Mick looked up and saw snowflakes fall from the sky, landing on her eyelashes. She closed her eyes, remembering the Calling she had two years ago. She had heard Zeke’s voice whisper in the wind “Find her.” That Calling was the most intriguing one that she had and it was the Calling that had led her to find Zeke. She and Zeke loved it when there was snowfall. Winter once had a negative memory associated with the two of them since Zeke died of frostbite but was then revived once again with no frostbite in sight. Michaela felt Zeke rub her back and she turned towards him and he pulled her close and they embraced in the moonlight, letting the moonlight shine its pale light upon them. Zeke pulled back and looked at the bump. He placed his hands over it and he felt Michaela’s hands go over his. “I love you,” he whispered. She smiled at him. “I love you too. And our little ones. I can’t wait to hold them with you.” Zeke felt tears run down his face. He never imagined that this would happen to him at all but here he was, standing by the love of his life, who was carrying two little souls inside her that were made from their love. He was lucky. “I can’t wait to meet them,” he breathed as he pushed some of her hair back from her face and leaned closer and ever so softly, they kissed each other. The snow kept falling down on them as they kissed.

They were truly and were always surrounded by the protection of the highest power. Because what force or power brought them together had no intention of driving them apart. Ever.

Chapter Text

The sound of a chickadee singing in the pine trees filled the afternoon air as Michaela slipped into the hot tub. She sighed as she felt the hot water against her skin. She needed this, only a few weeks ago, her life turned upside down when she watched the love of her life die right in front of her and it broke her. But, the Callings brought Zeke back to her and the rest of her family. They celebrated their first Christmas as a married couple and Zeke gave her a very special necklace for Christmas. In the middle was a tiny charm of the constellation Gemini and on both sides, there were two tiny snowflakes with the first letter of their first names engraved on it. “Snow and stars are our thing,” she had told him when he had put it on her. “Snow led me to you. The stars showed us that we are connected.” Michaela took the Gemini charm in her hand and she sighed, thinking of how far she and Zeke had come.

She heard footsteps behind her and she saw Zeke walk up behind her and he gave her a grin. “How’s the hot tub?” he asked her as he hopped in. “Very warm,” she said as she moved closer to him and he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to his side. “I love Maine,” Zeke said as he stroked Michaela’s hair. “It’s so peaceful up here.” Michaela nodded. “I agree. We needed this.” She and Zeke were spending a week up in northern Maine near the Atlantic Ocean. They had found a beautiful Airbnb in a very beautiful forest complete with a view of the ocean and the surrounding forest. Only a few weeks ago, their lives were flipped upside down by Zeke’s Death Date and Cal’s kidnapping. The two of them deserved a break from New York and escaping to Maine was the best idea.

Michaela took some bubbles from the hot tub and began to play with them, attempting to form a shape of some form. “Whatcha doing?” Zeke asked. “Playing with bubbles,” she said, as she put some of the bubbles on his hair and patted it down. “Oh, so were doing this, are we?” Zeke asked, with a sly grin on his face as he took some bubbles and attempted to make a crown out of bubbles and he placed it on Michaela’s head. She began to laugh as she added more bubbles to his head and started to add bubbles to his beard and mustache. “You look like Santa Claus!” she laughed. “Oh really?” Zeke raised an eyebrow.

“Yes!”

Zeke laughed as he grabbed more bubbles and put bubbles on Michaela’s face. She stared into his hazel eyes and saw the happiness and joy radiating in his eyes. Moving closer, she put both hands on his face and kissed him. Zeke deepened the kiss and he pulled her closer to him and they kissed and giggled in between kisses. “I love you,” she whispered after they pulled apart for a bit before he leaned forward again and kissed her again. “I love you too,” he whispered when they pulled apart again. “You are everything to me.” Michaela smiled at him. “You still bubbles all over you,” she pointed out.

“So do you!”

“I’m enjoying this with you.”

“Me too.”

They kissed again and they felt such a happiness they had never felt before. After all they went through in the past year, this was what they needed: a break from everything and spend time alone together, enjoying each other’s company. And they both knew there would be more moments like this in their future.

Chapter Text

The early morning sunrise woke Michaela from a sound sleep. In fact, it was probably the best sleep she had ever had. It was her and Zeke’s first day of their honeymoon and they were excited to spend the next year, just the two of them, exploring the world together. This was what Michaela wanted for so long; a chance to escape New York and being alone with Zeke. Her head was nestled in between his shoulder and neck and it was quite comfy. She noticed that he was still sound asleep. Last night they had a very passionate night and they didn’t fall asleep until around two in the morning. Zeke was still sneaking in tiny kisses around her neck as she drifted off to sleep. She sighed. She loved it when he kissed her, it felt so wonderful, like an ecstasy she had never felt before. Perhaps this is what it felt like when you’re with your soulmate. A sense of pure bliss and happiness.

Michaela placed her hand over Zeke’s heart and she could feel the steady rhythm of his heart and she sighed again. Only a few weeks ago, she was watching him slowly die from the effects of the frostbite and it killed her on the inside, to see him suffer like that. He had felt it too, and he knew it would hurt her when he told her that he decided to stop the treatments but that night, he had gotten down on one knee and asked her to marry him, even if it was for one day. Michaela remembered how beautiful their wedding was. Their families and closest friends were there to witness their love for each other and there was not a single dry eye in that room. The next day after the wedding however was a different story. Michaela watched as Zeke died right in front of her and she felt so lifeless inside that if Zeke had actually died, she probably couldn’t have gone on living without him by her side.

She closed her eyes as she felt Zeke’s heart beat and she remembered just how much he meant to her. They both needed each other and their strange connection through the Callings only brought them closer together. The universe wants us together, she thought. I want to spend forever with you. What she and Zeke had went beyond anything she had ever known about love. She had been in several different relationships and she had never felt anything like this before. What they had was a deep sense of understanding, trust, strength and love with each other. Michaela knew she was incredibly lucky to have Zeke in her life.

She felt his hand go over hers and he rubbed her hand gently. She opened her eyes and found herself staring into his gentle hazel eyes. “Hi,” he said as he moved closer to her. He gave her the soft look that he only reserved just for her. “Hi,” she said back. She rolled over so she was on top of him and she started to caress his face, feeling the roughness of his beard and he in turn ran his hand through her hair. They didn’t say anything, words weren’t needed. Their souls were singing to each other and they could feel it. Michaela leaned forward and ever so lightly, she brushed her lips gently over Zeke’s and she felt him deepen the kiss. She kissed him back and then, Zeke rolled over and he was on top of Michaela and he gazed at her. She smiled at him. Stroking her hair he kissed her softly on her lips and then started a trail of kisses down her neck and he felt her tilt her head back as she moaned softly with happiness. He looked into her eyes and he felt this feeling of warmth and happiness course through him. “I love you,” he breathed as he kissed her lips again. She sighed. “I love you too,” she murmured as she pulled herself up and placed one hand on Zeke’s face and the other hand on the back of his head. They stared into each other’s eyes, seeing their souls and Michaela knew this was what she wanted all along. A moment of pure bliss. She and Zeke kissed again, feeling the electricity coursing through them as they kissed. It was such a pure bliss and Michaela knew she was going to have more moments like these with Zeke in the future.

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The lights of the police cars shone across the street as I waited for Michaela to be done talking with Ben and Jared. As I waited for her, I thought about what had occurred that day. We had both gotten a Calling “Bring him back” and while it wasn’t a shared Calling like we had in the past, it still led us to the same place. It was our first time seeing each other since Michaela freed me from prison and even though I had tried calling her for a month, she was keeping her distance from me until now.

The hostage situation was a scary situation of course, but I knew Michaela was capable of handling the situation but I didn’t want her to be alone. Besides, the Callings wanted us to accomplish the Calling together. We managed to bring back two brothers and we learned about a compass that was responsible for saving multiple lives and Michaela was entrusted with it for safekeeping while the gunman was in prison. I saw her and Ben talk and she handed him the compass and then talked to Jared for a bit. I knew things were tense between the two of them ever since Michaela got me out of prison but it seemed like they walked away peacefully from each other and I saw her heading back towards me.

She noticed my head wound was still fresh when I had attacked the gunman and he had hit me with the bottom of the gun. It still hurt. “Let’s get that looked at,” Michaela said gently as she touched my arm and we headed back to her apartment.

We didn’t say much on our way back and we had gotten to the apartment, she had me sit at the dining room table while she got her first aid kit out. She applied a cotton ball and was soaking up the blood from the wound. While she was doing that, I let my thoughts wander. During the robbery, while we were in the lobby, Michaela couldn’t help but think that there was something in the vault that could help save me and the rest of the passengers. I only had eight months left to live and Michaela was determined to save me. In a way, she did. She helped me to start seeing that I was more than my mistakes. That I had a second chance at life. I could tell she was sensing my thoughts.

“You alright?” she asked as she dabbed the cotton ball on my forehead. “Apart from this head wound?”

"Why?” I asked, looking into her ocean blue eyes. “Why are you always trying to save me?”

She gave me a small look. “Because Zeke, you’re a good man,” she said. “Whether you believe it or not, you’ll come around, I know that.”

“All I got is eight months,” I said.

“Don’t say that,” she said as she grabbed a small piece of medical tape and taped it on my wound. “This compass, it could be a clue and we will find a way to really save you.”

“But you already have,” I told her.

We gazed at each other, not saying much. After a few moments of silence, she spoke. “A good heart goes a long way,” she said quietly.

“What?”

That’s when she leaned forward, placed her hand on my cheek and kissed my lips. I was surprised at first and then I closed my eyes, savoring the kiss. She...she wants me,I thought. She feels the same way that I feel about her.She pulled back quickly and she looked down, slightly embarrassed. I looked at her, in shock and in awe. Taking both of my hands, I gently placed them on her head and we leaned forward again and we kissed again.

Later on that night, we were wrapped in each other's arms, gently kissing and caressing each other. Somehow, I had a feeling that the Callings brought us to the bank to not only follow the Calling, but also help us to see that we were something more. We both understood each other so well, we were the same. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that our souls had finally come home to each other. And as we kissed, our souls were singing the same song. I was home at last, with the one person who truly saw me for who I was and I knew, I was truly home with Michaela.

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A week had passed since Zeke’s miraculous revival and since then Michaela was still in shock but at the same time overjoyed that her best friend, her soulmate, her husband beat the Death Date. He still was too, she would catch him looking at his hands, in disbelief that a week ago, there was frostbite on his fingers and bandages covered them. His ears weren’t black and his nose wasn’t red. He was normal, healthy and strong. When they had gotten home the next day after rescuing Cal, they spent the whole day in bed, wrapped in each other’s arms, kissing every inch of each other, relishing that they were together and they would always be with each other.

It was Saturday and the pale morning light shone into their bedroom. Zeke woke up first as always and he smiled at his sleeping wife. Ever so gently, he leaned forward and kissed her softly on her forehead. She stirred and she opened her eyes and Zeke felt his heart swell in his chest as he stared at her eyes. Those eyes were the most beautiful pair of eyes that he ever laid eyes on and they were filled with happiness, not sadness. “Hi,” he whispered. “You want to buy a Christmas tree?” She grinned. “Of course!” she giggled. “We do have to get ornaments and lights too,” she told him.

“What if we made our own ornaments?”

“What do you have in mind?”

“Snowflakes. And stars. Us. Our symbols.”

Michaela laughed. “Definitely!”

“We gotta get out of bed first,” he told her with a sly grin. “Ok, but first I need to kiss you.” They both laughed and soon they closed the gap between their lips and they kissed each other deeply.

After showering, and having a well balanced breakfast, they drove a bit of ways out of the city to a little tree farm and found a little tree that seemed to fit their apartment. It began to snow while they were out and they both smiled at each other and without saying anything, they kissed each other under the snow. They giggled in between kisses and they soon found themselves on the ground, laughing in each other's arms. “I love you,” Michaela whispered. “I love you too,” he murmured into her ear. “Let’s buy our tree and get some Christmas lights.” he told her. She nodded.

After stopping at Target to get some golden Christmas lights, some construction paper and baking supplies, Zeke and Michaela set up their Christmas tree and they began working on making their Christmas ornaments. They made snowflakes and stars of different shapes and sizes and hung them on their tree using craft twine. After they decorated their tree, Zeke led Michaela to the kitchen and grabbed her apron that said “Mrs.” on the front. It was a wedding present from Grace and Zeke had the same apron but with “Mr” on his. “I’m gonna show you how to make cookies,” he told her. They grabbed the ingredients and they made the dough and at the store, they bought snowflake and star cookie cutters and they cut the cookies out and baked them in the oven.

After the cookies were baked and cooled, they made an icing and covered the cookies with the icing and they grabbed a plate with some milk and went to their couch and Zeke put on Elf on the TV and they watched Elf as they ate their cookies. “These cookies are so good!” Michaela said with her mouth full. “Of course they are,” he chuckled. “It’s my recipe after all.” Zeke noticed that Michaela had a milk mustache above her lips and he took a napkin and brushed the milk off. “You are everything to me,” he whispered. “I am so happy that we can spend Christmas together.” “I know,” she murmured. “You’re here with me and I couldn’t ask for anything more.” Placing a hand on her cheek, he pulled her close for a kiss and they kissed each other so gently. Life was perfect. He was alive, well and here with her. Michaela sighed. Zeke was her whole world and she was so happy that he beat the Death Date and he was here with her and the rest of her family. And they both couldn't be anymore happier.