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Chapter Text

When Alex fled her family estate with her stolen jewels in her desperate attempt to get back to her husband's side, she remembered one critical piece of advice she and Spencer had been given; so she bought a first class ticket to Galveston instead of New York. She could not have known Spencer was also headed there at the same time, but as she sat in her cabin thankful for how much she had pawned the family jewels and how much Jennifer had been able to sneak her all she thought of was that she and their boy would be reunited with Spencer soon. The universe seemed to finally be on their side and neither knew they would be reunited much sooner than expected, she ate and slept and barely left her cabin during the trip. She was traveling as Alexandra Dutton not Alexandra of Sussex but she had learned her lesson from the last time, no need to draw unnecessary attention to herself.

She wrote letters to Spencer adding them to the stack she carried from Cara, still tied with the twine Spencer had cut for them. She played with her ring as she laid on the bed by herself, she spoke to her son telling him about his father and how fiercely Spencer loved and protected those who were his. One night two days from Texas a mayday call reached her ship and she ended up on deck as it answered the call, as men were being pulled from the lifeboats and climbing a ladder to the deck she was watching from, she found herself recognizing a set of shoulders that while somehow larger than when she last saw him, could only belong to her husband.

“Spencer,” his name came out little more than a whisper but somehow he turned, they were both running into each other's arms within a heartbeat. She ran her hands all over his arms, chest and face tangling her fingers in his hair and refusing to let go. He was holding her face in his hands, she noticed his hands were shaking, their foreheads met before he pulled her into his arms so tightly she wasn't sure where she ended and he began.

Spencer pulled away for a moment looking over his shoulder at the other men from his ship, she gripped his shirt like they might try to take him from her again. “We need to get off this deck darlin',” she nodded, releasing him just enough for him to grab the bag and gun he had somehow kept with him through yet another shipwreck. With his hand securely in hers she led him to her cabin, practically tackling him the moment the door was shut behind them.

They ended up in a pile on the floor while she sobbed and he held her like he couldn't believe she was real, eventually she calmed down some as Spencer picked her up and moved them to laying down on the bed. She had started showing during the voyage so she took his hand and placed it on her abdomen, watching his face waiting for him to make the connection. “Really?” His face was lit up like a little boy on Christmas morning, and she choked out a laugh as she nodded at him. He kissed her in such a manner that took her breath away, it was like their souls fused together, all was right in their world and she knew he would never let them be torn apart again.

“How are you even here?” He finally asked what she knew he had wanted to know all along, and she told him of how she had been sent to her family's home for basically house arrest after they had been separated, pilfered the jewels and remembered what the captain that married them had said so she choose the ship to Galveston instead of New York.

“We have to be careful when we get off the ship and get on the first train to Montana that we can, I was working on an Italian mafia ship bootlegging to get here. I'm not going to have you around that but as far as I'm concerned my job is done now that everything is at the bottom of the ocean.” She was tracing his face as he spoke, she couldn't bring herself to stop touching him, the way his hands were still roaming her body suggested he felt the same.

“Well having you with me will make customs easier, I already had a whole story worked out on why my American husband wasn't with me or meeting me; I'm glad it's not necessary now.” She wasn't sure it was going to work to begin with but now she had Spencer he would handle whatever needed done, they could remarry fresh off the boat if they had to.

“I'll take care of everything, I've realized how right you were, I apparently am famous. Might as well throw that around to clear us through customs, once we're on the train however we are going to keep the name Dutton quiet. I don't know how bad the war for the ranch has gotten, knowing Cara she's bragged that I'm coming they would be dumb to not have people watching stations to try to stop me.” Clearly he had been doing plenty of thinking on this topic while they were apart.

“Whatever you say my love, we've reached the part of this journey where I will agree that I need to just follow instructions.” He chuckled, his chest moving under her head, and she had been so worried she'd never hear that sound again.

“I'll believe that when I see it honey, but thank you for saying it anyway.” She pinched his side before settling back in his arms. “We had six days before we docked, but this ship moves faster so when did you expect to dock?”

“Two days, I imagine this will give us a slight delay, so three days perhaps?” She was certainly not complaining about three days in a cabin with her husband without morning sickness this time. “However, will we fill the time?” She had missed teasing him so much.

He rolled her under him before she had finished speaking, “I have several ideas, don't worry, we aren't leaving the room this time.” she pulled him down for a rough kiss she needed their clothes off, it was shocking they had managed this long still clothed. “Shower first then the bed and maybe that chair,” she couldn't help but giggle while he carried her to the bathroom as soon as he set her down, however she tore his shirt off. He had her undressed and under the warm water in what seemed like a few heartbeats. The shower felt like a cleansing of their souls, washing away the time spent apart. They barely bothered to dry off before Spencer was laying her down on top of her with so much love in his eyes. When he finally entered her it was too much and not enough and she could feel him everywhere but couldn't hold him tightly enough. As her nails dug into his arms leaving red marks behind and his grip on her thigh tightened to where she knew it would leave a bruise, she came his name falling from her tongue like it was the only word she knew.

His pace never faltered, he pressed their foreheads together one hand cradling her face while the other held her hip, holding her in place making sure she took every bit of him. Tears leaked from her eyes, she kissed him a messy clash of tongues and teeth and lips, she kissed him like she had fear she never would again. His thrusts were still loving and slow, she wanted more; she wanted the ravaging he had promised forever. “Spencer,” one slightly rougher thrust at his name had her moaning, “baby please you won't break me.” he responded immediately as though he had just been waiting for permission, he hooked her leg over his arm as pulled back to roughly thrust into her, taking her hard and fast. She arched into him moans of “Spencer. Yes. Please.” Poured loudly from her mouth on repeat, when he rub at her center while giving her a deep thrust she broke her vision was fuzzy she was sure she was screaming but she couldn't hear anything over her own heartbeat in her ears and he still didn't stop.

“That's it darlin',” oh she wasn't going to come down from her high before she would come again if he was going to use that voice on her. “God I missed you, you are heaven, cum for me one more time sweetheart you can give me one more.” Every thrust was hard and deep she felt every inch of him and every fiber of her being wanted her to do as she was told for once in her life so she did how could she not. She felt him twitching inside him coating her as her walls milked him and his deep groan echoed in her ears, this was what they would get to have for the rest of their lives.

When he pulled out and rearranged them she was curled into his side as he trailed a hand up and down her spine, he broke the silence, “I love you.” She smiled brightly at him stretching to kiss his stubbled jaw, “I love you.” Safe in his arms she was almost asleep when her stomach decided to break the silence, “your son is hungry,” she poked his side giving him a cheeky grin.

“Our son darlin',” he kissed her head before pulling away which resulted in an angry whine and her hands grabbing at any part of him she could reach.

“When he's keeping me awake he's your son,” she flopped back against the pillows pouting which he seemed to find hilarious if the barely concealed smile meant anything. She didn't want to take time to eat, she wanted to sleep for a little while before being ravaged by her husband again and then maybe just repeat that order for the next however many days it took to get to port.

Lucky for her Spencer didn't bother to get dressed while he called for room service, she had been no help when he asked what she wanted, she didn't know the baby would decide when it was in front of her if she could even eat at all. It sounded like he had ordered half the menu and she couldn't help but be amused, he came back to the bed and put a hand on her stomach before lowering his face to the same level. “You have to let your momma eat little one, you can't hate everything that we have coming, ok?” She brushed his hair back from his face, she was crying again and she couldn't even blame hormones.

“You are going to be an amazing father.” He met her for a kiss wiping the tears from her cheeks, she crawled onto his lap wrapping her arms and legs around him and he held her tightly as she cried. “I missed you so much, I don't want to let you out of my reach.” He didn't shush her or give her false platitudes, he simply held her drawing nonsensical patterns on her back.

“I will do absolutely everything in my power to make sure that no one will take you from me ever again. We don't have to go fight this war, we can make a life anywhere. We can head straight back to Africa and live in our beach hut if you want, but if you want our life to be in Montana then I can't promise it's going to be safe. I can promise you that as long as I am breathing you two will be protected.” She pulled her face from his neck to look at him, he was serious he would turn his back on his entire family and the ranch if she asked him to.

“That is your ranch baby, your family, Cara wrote to you because they need you. That will be our boys ranch one day, it's their legacy we have to protect it.” She kissed him gently and slowly, “I'd rather not end up in a tree surrounded by lions again if I could help it. We'll go to Montana and I'll make Cara love me.” He snorted, “how could she not, you are the reason I'm coming home.” She shrugged, “I'm very lovable for more than just making you smile again, that is my greatest accomplishment however.”

“They will love you darlin' just like I do, can't help but fall in love with you.” She ran her fingers over her holy Grail as he gave her his heartbreaking smile.

“You finally see the romance of it all,” she teased him, that was when she fell for him the moment he really looked at her and told her that dying was the most alive you'll ever feel, she knew she had found her other half.

“Only for you baby girl, only for you.” She rested her head on his shoulder still naked and wrapped around him like he would disappear if she wasn't holding him there. She has again almost fallen asleep before a knock on the door startled her as the food was dropped off, Spencer had them leave it outside so Alex didn't have to rush off him and get covered. She eventually pulled on a nighty nibbling at a few things that met the baby's approval, “do I need to sit on your lap and feed you or are you going to eat on your own? there is no way you ordered all of this for just me.” Spencer chuckled at her and pulled her into his lap as he took a bite, “you might as well stay right here the rest of the trip.”

“What hardships I must suffer through on this adventure,” she teased as she leaned into his chest curling up in his lap, she played with the fingers of his left hand as he ate twisting his wedding band like she had twisted her just that afternoon.

“There's been more blood on my hands since we've been apart,” he said calmly, just a passing fact, but he was slightly tensed below her; Her movements never stopped. She had been drawing patterns on his palm, finishing her unseen design. She brought his hand to her face, pressed a kiss to each finger and the palm; he cradled her face as she released her grip on him and she laid her head into his touch.

“And yet they still cradle my face perfectly, I married a soldier and a hunter, but most of all I married a good man Spencer Dutton. It's going to take more than blood to scare me away.” Any thoughts of food were forgotten for the night as he pulled the nighty of her and began to worship her body again.

Chapter Text

Spencer woke during the night, sure that he would be on that damn bootlegging ship, but the slight weight of his little wife laying across his chest soothed him almost instantly. His mind had already started working out plans on how he was going to get Alex off this ship and on a train, far away from the mafia without any trouble. He knew he could handle any of them but it would be stupid to invite trouble when he was already bringing his pregnant wife to a war.

“You're thinking rather loudly my love, we have nowhere to be and nothing to do for the next two days other than enjoy each other, let us relax while we can.” She barely moved as she spoke to him, her voice raspy with both sleep and from how much moaning she had done the night before. Her hands were running up and down his abdomen and he put his face into her hair, she was there with him, his stubborn beautiful wife; she had lied and stolen and turned her back on her family to get back to his side.

“Stop thinking that should be easy enough,” she chuckled into his neck at his self-deprecating joke. Nipping her way from his collarbone to his jaw her hand moved lower to grasp his already hard cock, not to be out done he ran a hand down to gently rub at her clit before dipping two fingers into her soft wet heat, the resulting moan had him doubling his efforts. He rolled them so she was beneath him now his mouth working a path down her body, getting momentarily distracted worshipping her gorgeous tits that were obviously already more sensitive as she let out a series of whimpering moans as she bucked against his fingers while his mouth worked her nipples.

“Spencer,” and to think he'd almost never got to hear her moan his name ever again, “baby please, please fuck me.” Well when she asked so nicely how could he deny her anything, he just needed to taste her first then she could have anything she wanted; he left her breasts and practically dove between her legs. Her hands went straight to his hair, she tasted like heaven as he flicked his tongue against her clit then thrust it in her before returning to her clit while his fingers resumed their place inside her. The room was filled by her moans of his name and the wet sound of his fingers pulling every bit of pleasure from her body he stopped only once she had cum, her legs locking around his head he would have suffocated happily there if it weren't for the fact she had so sweetly asked to be fucked.

When she had come down from her high enough that he could move from her thighs he promptly placed himself above her, rubbing her soaking center with his cock until she whimpered out another please when he entered her with one hard deep thrust. Her nails were dragging down his arms, the sting a wonderful contrast to the wet walls that so tightly welcomed his cock. Their mouths met in a messy approximation of a kiss, her tongue flicked out to clean her own juice from his face, and his hand moved to grip her throat lightly a loud moan filled the room at that. Of course his girl loved being manhandled; she chased danger for the fun of it, to love him was to love dangerous things.

She came again, her walls milking his cock he pounded a few more thrusts as deep as he could, tangled together in the sheets after Alex dozed lightly, playing with his fingers when she was awake. He laid there holding her, still astonished at the fact that she loved him so unflinchingly, he meant it when he said he was too damn selfish to ever put her back but that didn't mean he thought he deserved her.

“I clearly didn't do my job well enough if you're still thinking this loudly,” she muttered and he just held her tighter, placing a kiss to the top of her head.

“Just thinking about how lucky I am to have you darlin' that's all.” She raised her face to him like a sunflower to the sun and her smile was so bright, she would single handedly run off every demon he had left.

“I love you, there is no world in which I don't, and when we get to Montana and you handle this war, I expect you to have a new dream to tell me husband. The universe can fuck off if it thinks it has any say on how far I will follow you, I've been yours to keep since the first time we spoke.” She brushed his hair back from his face as she spoke before climbing on top of him pressing her forehead into his, she sat up after a moment and his hands were drawn to the slight curve of her stomach. It was hard to believe their baby was in there already making their presence known, she rested her hands on top of his as he stroked the bump.

“It's ridiculous I didn't realize it sooner; I've never had sea sickness in my life, I should have made the connection but everything was already so dramatic that it didn't occur to me until I had been on land for a week or two and was still sick. I've been thinking, how would you feel about naming him John?” He met her soft gaze, “how do you know it's a boy?” Her smile grew, “I just do, this is our boy Spencer the one I saw in you in Africa. I will admit he's a bit earlier to the party than I thought he would be but with the amount of ravaging we did it's not unexpected.”

“We'll name him whatever you want sweetheart, you have to do all the work to get him here.” he should have realized when she was sea sickness also but they had been so wrapped up on each other and then distracted by having to get back to Montana as quickly as they could. Now as terrifying as the thought of having to stand by as she risked her life to deliver their son was, he had to hold it together and hide it for her sake. He got a slight chuckle at the look on her face as he mentioned labor, “I'll be right there the whole time darlin',” and she brightened at that.

“Promise? I have been trying very hard to not think about the delivery yet, but I don't want to do it without you and I don't particularly care if it's proper or not.” He couldn't help but laugh, she certainly didn't care if anything was proper considering she ran from her fiance chasing after his car.

“Wild horses couldn't keep me away, and there's not a doctor in Montana stupid enough to try I promise you.” She giggled at that and he knew he had said the right thing, “and if after he's here you don't want to it again, we won't have anymore. The rest of our lives are whatever you want them to be Alex, we don't have to stay at the ranch.”

“Don't be silly, Cara would be heartbroken if you left her again and the ranch is your home of course it's where we'll raise our boy. He'll need siblings at least one, they will be more than a handful it's not as though either of us are sane people.” He thought back to her reading the letters in their beach hut, he had called himself double bred crazy and so had she, they were really in for it.

“We'll just have to hope this one takes after his namesake. John was always calmer than I was.” He stroked the bump before picking her up off his lap so he could lay her down and put his face level with the slight bump. “You be good for your momma in there ok? We've still got a long way to go before we're home,” Alex has threaded her fingers through his hair, a watery smile on her face as she stared at him like she would be lost without him. “I'll keep you both safe don't worry,” he looked up and saw Alex was crying now, “hold on I'll be right back your momma is crying” she let out a sobbing laugh as he pulled her into his arms. He was sitting against the headboard holding his crying pregnant wife who swore it was happy tears, he couldn't believe how quickly his life had changed since she walked up to him at that bar.

“I’m just so glad we get this time together, now distract me so I can quit crying, what is your plan for us getting home?” Since he would do just about anything to have her not crying he started laying out his plans and back up plans.

“We're going to get off this ship, ideally without being pulled aside and asked for papers we don't have,” Alex surprised him by hopping off his lap and going over to the desk that her bag was sitting on and began rifling through it.

“Marriage license, a forgery obviously, but should be good enough. The cabin was registered to both of us because I wasn't advertising that I was traveling alone, I got on alone of course, but just said my husband was attending to some business and would be along shortly. If they give us any issues I'll just complain about how they clearly don't know how to do their jobs since you have been on with me the whole time, I didn't leave the cabin until we got word of the wreck and rescue.” He joined her looking at the documents with an arm around her waist, she had made a cover for him that she couldn't have known he would need.

“You are brilliant, this is exactly what we needed, if anyone from the bootlegging ship tries to say anything we can just say I'm famous,” she poked him “you are famous my love.” He shook his head, “I believe you, it still seems a bit ridiculous that I'm famous for being good at killing.”

She turned in his hold, gripping his chin and forcing him to look at her, “you are famous for being brave enough to face man eating lions, and possibly having a death wish.” He rolled his eyes at her and her grip tightened slightly, “you are an incredibly talented hunter and a soldier, that by all accounts survived something you never should have, now you're going to use your skills to save your ranch. Then we will finish chasing off any demons you have left and we will raise our insane children happy and safe and together. If we happen upon anyone else who insists you've killed the man eater of Tsavo we will smile and nod and use their ignorance to our advantage.” He had to laugh at that, he was glad to have her with him to make the journey lighter by simply existing.

“Whatever you say, pretty girl, but the math still doesn't work on that kill.” She laughed lightly at him with a huge smile, “we don't have to point that out. Now let's get breakfast, I'm starving. After that I think we had more plans involving that bed.” As she walked away from him to the bathroom, he shook his head and went about ordering her breakfast, maybe she was right about those vows he still didn't remember making but followed nonetheless.

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The news came not long after breakfast that they were actually ahead of schedule and would reach the dock within the hour. While Alex didn't seem thrilled to lose their uninterrupted time together she was happy to be getting closer to being home. When he answered the door to get the food the steward that brought it tried to cover his surprise at seeing Spencer, Alex had played the part of the rouse well if she had managed almost the entire voyage without them figuring out that she was alone. He wanted to be seen in their room to build a background that of course he had been there with his wife, if he had been seen on the deck when the rescues were made it was because he was with Alex she wanted to watch.

Alex even pulled her best snooty rich girl act out to complain that the someone had obviously forgotten to stamp his passport and it needed to be fix immediately what was customs going to say about this, he was impressed at how well she could play the part, the grin she shot him as soon as the door was shut showed her amusement at the situation.

“Well that was fun, look at that airtight alibi, told you I'd be useful on this journey.” she pressed up into his chest and he wrapped his arms around her. He grinned back at her, she had a way of making things better even when plans had to change at the drop of a hat.

“You're magnificent darlin' please don't ever use that tone on me though,” she giggled, stretching up to kiss him under the jaw.

“Fair enough, I would have liked another day to keep you locked away from the world. It's easy to forget that everyone is waiting for you when there isn't anything we can do to get there faster.”

“We'll have probably close to another week on trains depending on weather, we can lock ourselves in the sleeping car, and then as soon as the war is done we can figure out if we want to stay in the big house or build our own.” He reluctantly released her and moved to gather the items they had strewn around the room. It had been neat like she hadn't done much before he got on board, now it looked like a tornado had blown through as their clothes had been tossed carelessly anytime they bothered to even put some on.

“Do we need our own house? I'm looking forward to spending time with Cara and you'll be busy, we might as well just save the time and not build.” He watched her absentmindedly brush a hand over the bump and god how he loved her.

“There's plenty of room honey, if you don't want us to build we won't, I'd rather spend my free time with you anyway. Cara loves having everyone together, a full table and a full house are her favorite things; and having her close to help you with John when I'm ranching will only be a good thing.” She had grabbed a few things while they spoke, handing them to him to get shoved in the bags in no particular order besides their paperwork for customs.

“I think it's about time to go up and get our papers stamped, now we go straight from the ship to the train station and ideally we won't have to get a hotel for the night. Stay close and try to let me do the talking for a bit, ok?” She bit back a smile and nodded bouncing on the balls of her feet just a bit, clearly she had gone straight back into adventure mode now that he was with her.

Thanks to being first class customs came on ship to process them and thanks to Alex's forged paperwork they had no issues getting in to the United States, they were off the ship and on their way to the train station before any of the men that came on the bootlegging ship could have been processed he was lucky to have had time to grab his items the rest of them didn't it would take time to get them processed. He planned on using that time to his advantage to get his wife as far from their reach as possible.

They got lucky at the train station also, there was a train with a first class sleeper cabin available leaving for Sioux Falls in thirty minutes and he had tickets bought and they were shut in their room within fifteen. He finally relaxed when the train pulled away on time with no one asking unnecessary questions, he knew it would only last a few days before they would get to Montana and he would have to be the soldier again.

He got pulled from the dark path his mind had started down by his sweet little wife dropping herself into his lap, she had dressed in a version of her Africa outfit and was taking advantage of pants instead of a dress by wrapping her legs around his waist as her arms went around his neck. “I see I still have some demons to hunt when this is all over,” her mouth was working his pulse point enough to bruise. “I meant it Spencer, I'm far too selfish to share you with them.”

“Once the ranch is safe and we are home these will be beaten too my love, you have single handedly killed my demons. It's just some shadows left and you are already my personal ray of sunshine, they won't remain long now that I have you back.” She beamed at him leaning in to give him a gentle kiss.

“Safe to say the best decision I ever made was running after your car, I'm very glad you didn't make me get out.” He gripped her waist tightly, honestly it hadn't crossed his mind that day as an actual option. He may have been actively trying to talk himself out of taking her with him prior to her chase, but once she was in his car giving him that wide smile he was in too deep to give her up. When he tried to leave her in Mombasa it felt like when he left for war the first time he didn't want to risk her and clearly he had too much but it worked out in the end.

“I asked that driver if the road to the Serengeti was as bad as I heard because I needed him to say yes so I had a reason to not steal you away. A better man wouldn't have taken you.” She rested her forehead against his, a single tear slid down her cheek and his heart broke a little bit. “I'm a selfish man darlin' I've already told you that, I will kill anyone who tries to take you from me ever again.” He truly had met his match when that promise brought a smile to her face, all she would have to do was ask for anything and he would make sure she got it forever. “The most dangerous thing in my life isn't this war we're headed to, it's how much I love you, I'm not a good man and I will burn the world down for you; that is my promise until I'm no longer breathing you will always be my greatest treasure.” he should have seen it coming but suddenly his arms were filled with a sobbing wife, he tried to hide his laughter at her mood swings she wouldn't appreciate his amusement he was sure.

It took a few minutes of holding her before she calmed down, she refused to pull her head from his neck even after the shaking had stopped; he dropped a kiss to the top of her head and anywhere else he could reach of her. “I love you,” her voice came muffled from where she was still attempting to hide inside his skin. He gently grasped her face and pulled her to meet his eyes.

“I love you, this is just the baby and the fact the last few weeks have been stressful. We have five days before we should have to switch trains, we are going to soak up all of our responsibility free time ok? Just you and me in a room with a locking door,” she giggled at him toying with his collar.

“Ok,” she nodded, mostly playful again as he wiped her cheeks with his thumbs, “we should sleep before we start the ravaging.” Her fingers brushed below his eyes, “you look more rested than you did when I saw you on the deck but you still need more sleep baby.” Leave it to her to see through him, but she had dark circles under her eyes as well she had not slept well without him either and while he had been working the grueling furnaces she was growing an entire other human.

“I don't sleep well at least not without you, how about I go get some food to bring back and you get ready for bed?” She leaned into his hand on her jaw, nodding slightly, “ok baby don't be long.” So damn sweet his little wife, “I'll be quick, you keep the door locked while I'm gone and only open it for me.” He made sure she understood he was serious before he left the cabin waiting until he heard her flip the lock before walking to the dining cart.

It took longer than he liked to return but the cabin was still locked and when Alex opened the door he saw she was in a nightgown but the room was organized their items stored out of the way for their next few days of travel, she had made sure to keep his rifle where he could easily get it. They had tried to keep it from him when they got on the train and he could admit he had gotten a little testy about how many laws had changed since he left to kill for this country; in the end the rifle stayed with him and Alex knew to keep it out and available.

She nibbled enough at the food that he was sufficiently sure she at least got something out of the meal before she set it aside to help get him undressed, they laid in the small bunk thankful for the fact that her normal spot was mostly on top of him anyway so they could still fit together. In a small locked cabin on a moving train that he would have expected to be an ideal home for his demons to take over his mind, he slept for the next eighteen or so hours. He woke to a sunrise somewhere in northern Texas the next day Alex was still in his arms and still asleep, so instead of risking waking her he simply closed his eyes and went back to sleep he knew the responsibilities he carried would not give him another chance like this again.

When he woke next, close to midday, it was Alex's mouth around his cock that acted as his alarm clock, his hands slid into her hair pulling back so he could see her face. His loud groan almost echoed in the cabin as she swallowed him down trying to fit as much as she could down her throat, he didn't want to know how she was already so damn talented at this. He let her have her fun until he couldn't anymore and he pulled her off his cock and up into his lap, pulling her nightgown off in the same moment. Alex reached above to hold on to the railing of the top bunk for stability as she slid herself onto him and his hands grasped her hips to help her ride him. It was fast and messy and he nipped at her breasts her moans getting louder with every touch of his mouth and every thrust of his hips, it didn't take long before they came together before collapsing in a pile on the bunk.

“Good morning husband,” her grin was wicked, she looked so pleased with herself.

“Good morning pretty girl,” he brushed a finger down her neck and she arched into his touch. “I don't think I have slept that long in my life, and that is certainly the only wake up call I've ever had like that.” She seemed pleased with that news, he didn't exactly make a habit of waking up with the girl he took to bed prior to her but she didn't need to know that. “Should we get dressed and go to the dining car or would you rather I just bring it back?”

“Let's go eat, then we can come back, I could use some movement that isn't horizontal.” He shook his head while laughing all the while.

“Sounds like a good plan darlin', whenever you're ready to move we will,” he laid there at her mercy, uncaring if he ate at all, he was exactly where he wanted to be.

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Alex seemed to be in no rush to move, burrowed into his side as though she could get inside his skin, he certainly wasn't going to move her either. He merely held her tighter curling around her more, sheltered in their locked cabin as though the outside world didn't exist, their own heaven in the craziness that was this entire journey. What Spencer wouldn't give to be back in their beach hut unburdened by the knowledge of what was waiting for him in Montana; not reading the letters may have kept him alive in the war but they also made it so he met Alex. If he had read the letter telling him of John's death when it arrived he'd have left Africa before his girl even stepped foot on the continent, as he laid there holding his salvation in his arms he couldn't help but send a silent apology up to his brother; for not coming home in the years following the war maybe John would still be alive, but mostly for the fact that he wouldn't trade having John alive if it meant he didn't have Alex.

“You didn't think this loudly before we left the beach,” his wife was still drawing invisible patterns into his skin, legs tangled together.

“How exactly does someone think loudly darlin',” he kissed the top of her head, fingers going to play with her curls, careful to not jostle her from her preferred spot on his chest.

“You're the one doing it, you tell me. I can see it on your face,” “you aren't looking at my face.” She tilted her face towards his, “now I am and I can see it on your face.” “You make no sense sometimes.” “As is my prerogative.” His laugh brought a smile to her face which was apparently all she wanted to begin with. “God help us all with you and Cara living in the same house, Uncle Jacob and I will never know peace again.”

“I’m growing a little you, we'll never know peace again for that reason alone, I had plenty of time to reread those letters from Cara. She talked about you when you were younger a few times. You sound like a handful, then we add me into the mix and we'll be lucky if we ever sleep again.”

“The world will only be better with a little more you in it darlin', if we ever have a little girl who looks like you I'll never be able to tell her no.” The smirk Alex gave him made it plain that she knew he already couldn't tell her no, and to think three months ago he would have told you he didn't want a wife or kids.

“Ever the charmer husband, your son could use some lessons, however, he says no more laying here,” Alex took his hand and pulled it to a spot on her stomach pushing in on her bump, she was staring at him with a grin. Finally he felt it, a tiny nudge against his palm, he couldn't choose between looking at Alex's excited face or at the bump that was currently kicking him.

“He's going to be tall like you,” she grinned at him in delight and she was so damn breathtaking.

“Well I'll work on his manners once he's here sweetheart, in the meantime I guess we should get up and go get him some food.” He kissed the top of her head before helping her up. She went to grab clothes from her bag pointing Spencer to where she had stored his things the day before, they made quick work of dressing. They needed the time out of the cabin to stretch their legs but they also didn't want to be gone for too long. Their time alone was quickly coming to an end and they didn't want to waste any of it.

Sitting at the table Alex sipping on a cup of tea watching the plains roll by outside the window, she was at peace, Spencer had sat next to her so she was leaning into his chest still comfortably in his hold. “It will be nice to have a horse again,” she mused aloud. It had been a few years since she had her own pet pony, something her husband would make fun of to no end she was sure.

“We'll get you a good horse, teach you how to shoot,” he spoke into her hair, “it will be an adventure every day if we want it to be.”

She reached to squeeze his thigh, “it sounds wonderful. We'll race horses until you're too old to ride.”

He nipped at the shell of her ear gently, “you enjoy that I'm older darlin' don't try to deny it now.”

She giggled at him and nuzzled his jaw, “I do I very much do.”

They watched the scenery until the food came which thankfully the baby seemed to approve of, eating slowly no need to rush anywhere. “Did you ever send another wire to Cara since the one from Mombasa?”

“No she knows I'm coming, we'll surprise her with you and the baby, wires are risky for information you'd rather not have get out in a war. If I was warned a soldier was coming to finish a war, I'd be setting up traps which is part of why we are going to be in our cabin as much as possible on the last leg of this trip.” He kept his voice low and his eyes on the rest of the train car, “I doubt they have enough men to do more than cover the train station in Livingston, it's where we'll get off. The rifle will be obvious unfortunately but I'll handle that when it comes to it.”

“I'm sure you've done your planning my love, with the incredibly limited amount of information, what does she mean by war anyway? You are expecting this to end with some sort of shoot out I assume?”

“War is not a metaphor in this family, people will die, it will be bloody and I'm going to finish it while keeping you entirely out of harm's way.”

They finished eating in silence, Alex was already getting tired again, she couldn't wait until the exhaustion would pass and she could enjoy being pregnant with Spencer by her side. “You're about to fall asleep sitting up darlin' let's get you back in bed.” She held his hand and followed him back to their compartment, they spent the next two days repeating the cycle. One meal a day out of their cabin the rest was just time together and plenty of time to catch up on the sleep they both desperately needed. Alex was almost fully rejuvenated by the time came to switch trains to go to Livingston and Spencer was fully on alert already scanning everywhere for possible enemies.

When they entered the sleeper cabin on the last train they would take to get home, Spencer was obviously on edge, he had gotten very short with an attendant about the rifle again his eyes scanned every car they walked through as though someone would jump at them at any moment.

She tucked their bags away for this final journey, it would only take a day, Spencer had begrudgingly left her in the locked cabin to go get food to bring back not wanting either of them to be seen too much. She tried to point out that she wouldn't be recognized since no one even knew he had a wife but when he shot her a look that barely concealed panic behind stern instructions she acquiesced to locking herself in. She was sure of Spencer's abilities and he was too but he had so many unknowns he was walking into and she knew that it scared him to have her walking into that with him. She was watching the snow covered ground roll by when Spencer knocked on the door, “I think I just saw buffalo but that can't be.”

“Bison, there are a few herds of bison left, they used to cover the plains,” he kissed her head and she scooted so he could sit in the window seat with her.

“It truly is similar to Africa, I won't say that I miss the lions or elephants though,” she loved just sitting there leaning into his hold and the way that his hands went to caress her bump so lovingly, sometimes pressing ever so slightly to see if he could get their son to respond. They stayed there watching together, he had taken to pulling out his lion's tooth and fidgeting with it, too much pent up energy ready for a fight, when she took it from him and set it to the side.

She turned his arms and with her skirt pulled out the way, she planted herself on his lap Spencer's hands coming to grasp her hips without thought. At first she just sat there playing with his hair until he finally relaxed under her touch, then she attacked mouths meeting as her hands began unbuttoning his shirt, missing his half open shirts of the warm African days. Less than a heartbeat was all it took for Spencer to respond with equal fervor working her blouse off before standing them both and getting her skirt and everything else off, laying her down on the bed.

“We should put all this energy of yours to good use while we still have time to,” she was nipping her way down his neck, her hands working his belt off while his were already working her into a frenzy below him.

His hands left her body and she whined in complaint that was quickly silenced by his mouth as he joined her in getting his belt and pants off she pulled him on top of her as soon as he was naked unwilling to wait any longer for him to be inside her. Her need for him had certainly not dwindled despite the fact all they had done since reuniting was fuck, sleep, and eat with conversations happening during times tangled together cuddling or rare clothed moments in the dining cars. Spencer was the same, constantly touching her in any way he could, parting only when she was too exhausted to leave the cabin for food.

When he slid in her in one thrust she arched against him breaking their kiss to moan loudly, nails digging into his shoulders again resulting in Spencer letting out a hiss of pain the hard thrust that accompanied showed it was pleasure. It was quick and messy and exactly what they both needed, too much energy being used in the best possible outlet, each other.

“We'll always be like this I think,” she told him afterwards cuddled together in the window seat again, watching a herd of wild mustangs run by while Alex played with his hands.

“Like what darlin',” he dropped a kiss on her temple, watching her glow in the light of the setting sun outside.

“Blissfully happy and in love,” and she looked like an angel when she turned her smiling face to him.

“Yeah sweetheart, we'll always be like this.” He held her tighter, the future held uncertainties but in this moment holding his entire world in his arms, Spencer knew down to the very soul she had brought back, they would always be happy and in love, he would make sure of it.

Chapter Text

Spencer was tense, obviously expecting a fight as the Livingston station came into view, she watched as he took in the platform before pushing her back into the previous car.

“My uncle and the sheriff are here, that means the other side is too,” he placed her in a seat giving her a stern look. “Stay here, you'll be out of the fire and if for some reason anyone asks you've never heard the name Dutton before in your life.”

She nodded, staying in the seat with their bags, his rifle hidden beneath them as much as possible; Spencer pushed his forehead to hers before turning hand on his pistol, heading directly into the danger like he always accused her of doing. She wanted to go to the other side where maybe she could at least see what was happening but as the sound of gunfire filled the air she pushed herself further into the opposite wall of the train car. Her husband was more than capable of taking care of them and she could not risk anything happening to her or the baby when there was nothing she could do to help him except wait for him to return to the safety of where he put her.

The silence that took over the air suddenly was not a comforting sound like she expected it to be, she stared at the doorway between the cars not moving, waiting, looking for her husband to come back to her.

“Alex!” She stood relief flooding her body as Spencer's voice reached her, she was at the door as he opened it, she ran her hands over him making sure he was whole before falling into his arms.

“Too much to hope that was the end of it isn't it?” She asked shakily knowing it wouldn't be that easy for them, nothing else about their journey had been.

“No darlin' that wasn't the end, however you are going to go with Uncle Jacob,” he looked over his shoulder drawing her attention to the older man behind him. So Jacob had made it through, she shouldn't be surprised. Dutton men seemed to be mostly invincible, “he says they are old leaks, but I'm not going to be getting yelled at by Aunt Cara because he didn't go to the hospital.”

“Lovely to meet you finally Jacob,” she smiled at her husband's uncle before turning her attention back to Spencer. “Where are you going?”

“To the ranch they're going to attack there, then we'll still need to get the man at the top but that won't be tonight. Tonight we'll sleep in our own bed at home, tomorrow I will go kill the man who killed my brother. After that it's whatever you want sweetheart.” She melted into him how could he be so sweet and loving to her while simultaneously discussing murder.

“Ok baby, be careful, there is no me without you.” She pressed a kiss to his lips before moving and grabbing his rifle, “I assume you would like to have this.” She gave him a smile as she held the rifle case out to him, he pulled it onto his shoulder, brushing a curl out of her face before pulling her into a deep kiss.

“You are my soul, I will meet you two at the hospital when this is all done.” A brief touch of their foreheads steadied her, he turned still holding on to her to look at Jacob, “just get checked out the train is going to Bozeman anyway. Take care of my wife for me please, she's got some precious cargo with her.”

She poked his side, “I thought I was the precious cargo but sure make it about the baby.” He let out a small laugh at the fact that she would tease him even now.

“You are the most precious thing I have darlin' , the baby is just a bonus. Now I need to go before I can't,” she nodded as his hand brushed her belly, he pressed one more soft kiss to her lips and her husband was gone grabbing pistols from the sheriff refusing to stop to be deputized.

“Well I'm sure you have quite the story to tell and I'd say we have some time.” Jacob smiled at her as he sat down not far from the sheriff and a doctor came to look at his wounds, she sat opposite him smiling as he waved him off.

“Oh it is an odyssey that spans half of the world, it's quite the surprise that I get to tell it to you, Cara's letter had us fearing the worst for you. Spencer and I met in Africa at a hotel bar, I left my fiance in the dust literally, when I ran after his car, he proposed the next day.” She let out a small laugh, “he promised our life would never be dull and that has certainly held true. You and Cara raised a wonderful man, truly the world would be a much better place if there were more men like Spencer in it.”

Jacob patted her hand, she wiped the tear she didn't realize had slipped from her eye, “I can already tell he's different than the boy that left here, but I can also tell that he's happy and I'm sure you are the cause of that happiness. Cara is going to box his ears for not telling her that he got married, hopefully we get to watch.” She laughed loudly because this was what she had crossed the world for, to be with her husband with his family at their home. She was with family and they would be home that night, they did it, she had the utmost faith that Spencer would take care of the attack on the ranch and return to her whole.

“We've survived a shipwreck, he killed my ex fiance after he pulled a pistol during a duel in my honor, we got separated for two months, the ship he was on sank and my ship rescued the lifeboats, we've only been back together a week or so. He was determined to get here as quickly as we could, didn't want to leave Cara defenseless but we were three months late just reading the letter.”

“I'm certain I would never call Cara defenseless but she wrote to Spencer for a reason, and it was long past time for him to come home anyway. This is the ground that the Duttons die in not overseas, you do plan on staying right?”

“Of course, this is his home, and my home is wherever he is so this is my home now. I'm excited to raise our children where he grew up, I'm sure he was quite the handful.” Jacob laughed nodding at her statement, they were interrupted by a steward coming to let them know there was an ambulance waiting to take them to the hospital at the Bozeman station and they would be there in just a few minutes.

“Do you think he's made it to the ranch yet?” She didn't know how far the ranch was from Livingston and she was quite anxious to have Spencer back at her side and then to finally get home.

“They took the cars so I would think they're getting there now, he'll handle it quickly and I wouldn't think that we'll have too long of a wait for him in Bozeman.” Jacob sounded confident and while she was confident in Spencer there was a small part of her that was terrified to have made it this far against all odds only to lose him on the doorstep of their future. “He survived the war, he'll survive this too, don't fret.” She nodded giving him a smile, Spencer had survived the war over nothing, and he even got his soul back in the end, he would not leave her now.

“You're right, we've come too far to be stopped now. Let's get to the hospital, I'm not sure I want to see Cara yelling if these aren't old wounds.” She picked up hers and Spencer's bags as the Bozeman station came into view, how funny that even though they had already reunited she would still be meeting Spencer in Bozeman Montana after all.

Jacob had been right, they were ‘old leaks’ what a concept this was a far cry from the pampered world she grew up, she could adapt to both the unforgiving nature of the land and the cold that seemed to soak into her very bones. She would certainly need warmer clothes to live here, she would need bigger clothes soon enough to accommodate her already growing belly.

As she sat on a bench in the hallway of the hospital planning their future, Spencer was at the ranch taking on a small army to secure it.

He could hear machine gun fire as his car pulled up to the edge of the ranch, and the months of preparation almost disappeared entire until he remembered that Alex was waiting for him, he had to save the ranch so he could bring her home. He could not afford to slip into his memories now, so pushing all thoughts of the war aside he loaded his rifle and stopped the car.

He stepped out silently, watching waiting to see movement, the machine gun fire ceased and a man sucked behind the cars in front of the ranch, Spencer raised the elephant gun and fired killing the man instantly. He reloaded and quickly took down three more men, moving closer he watched as flames began to grow behind a broken window in the living room, that was a later problem. He waited for three men that were shooting into the house to fall in line before taking them all out with one shot.

He grabbed his pistols from his sides and started mentally counting his bullets, he had enough for every enemy left standing as long as he used them wisely, and he always used them wisely. The fight was over in a matter of heartbeats, and as he called for his aunt to come down he realized that he had done what he set out to do, he had saved The Yellowstone and his wife was waiting for him in Bozeman.

“Uncle Jacob is at the hospital with my wife, I'm going to Bozeman to bring them home. Are you coming with me?”

Cara started to answer before looking around, “where is Jack? Is he not with you?” A tornado indeed, he had hoped his nephew would have developed some common sense while he was gone but apparently not.

“I haven't seen Jack, Uncle Jacob had some old wounds open during a gunfight at the Livingston station but he'll be fine. I might have made him go to the hospital to keep Alex away from the fight.” She would have figured that out by now so he might as well admit it.

“Alex?” “Alexandra, my wife,” “you have a wife?” “Boy do I, you'll love her, she's the reason I'm even here.”

“Go find my boy,” Cara told one of the hands before looking at Spencer, “let's go to Bozeman I need to meet this wife of yours.”

Spencer nodded, stopping just long enough to look around the living room of his home, “you'll get this cleaned up and windows boarded?”

Zane nodded, “yeah we'll take care of it before you get back.”

With that settled Spencer led his aunt to the car he came in and they drove off to Bozeman.

Chapter Text

“Where was Jack supposed to be?” Spencer finally asked his aunt as they drove from the ranch headed to Bozeman.

“He was supposed to stay at the ranch but decided to take off on his own to meet up with everyone at the train station, clearly he didn't make it.” Cara brushed a piece of hair behind her ear scrutinizing Spencer as much as she could in the low lighting of the auto. “Now distract me, tell me about this wife of yours, what is she like, Alexandra?”

“If a shooting star could talk, that's what she's like. She's stubborn and so smart and she loves to tease me. She takes my breath away, everything is some grand adventure to her and I love her so much it hurts.” Spencer could have, and would if Cara asked more, spend the entire drive to Bozeman talking about Alex. How she steadied him in a way he hadn't known he was missing, how she made him look forward to living again. How he would burn the world down and lose the ranch twice over if that's what it took to keep her with him; that he would kill anyone who came to try to take her.

“Talking stars, I can't wait to meet her, I owe her thanks for staying with Jacob. You're sure they were old wounds?” Cara still sounded stressed, a sound he was sure Alex would pick up in time, being married to a Dutton was stressful.

“That's what he said and he certainly wasn't moving like a man that had gotten shot in the stomach. Alex is pregnant, she went with Uncle Jacob just to keep her safe, I'm honestly surprised she agreed to it in the first place, she doesn’t usually listen when I try to keep her safe.” Cara let out a chuckle at that, Spencer was relaxing more with each mile that he got closer to Bozeman and his wife. He looked over at his aunt fussing with her coat, “Jack will be home before we get there I'm sure.”

“He's gone Spencer, they’ll find him and bring home a body, the boy never developed a lick of common sense. He never should have gone out on his own, we were at war, he should have known better. I think he’s been trying to prove something to himself since this all started and Elizabeth decided to leave after they lost the baby.” Cara patted his knee, “it's good you’re home now, a wife and a baby for my Spencer. I was certain I would not live to see the day.”

“Didn't think I would either, it took one conversation, hell it took one real look at her, and that was it. I was going to leave her at that hotel, she was in Africa to celebrate her arranged engagement, to some earl or count, she's fucking royalty; and she grabbed her bag and ran after my car I couldn't leave her behind a second time.” Spencer could see the hospital ahead, he was ready to have his wife back in his arms.

“Let me tell Jacob about Jack, he’ll blame himself for the boy’s recklessness, as if it isn’t a family trait.” Spencer nodded before following his aunt, getting out and walking to the hospital doors. He saw Alex in an instant sitting on a bench next to his uncle chatting away, she was laughing and he couldn't help but stop and stare, she was with him and they were almost home for good.

“Darlin’” her blonde curls tossed around as her head whipped in his direction, she was on her feet and in his arms within a heartbeat and he felt himself settle even more, he would be fully relaxed after Whitfield was handled in the morning but for now he had everything he needed.

“You're fine?” She asked the question into his neck, not pulling back enough to even look at him still holding him for dear life.

“I'm whole,” the kiss he dropped into her hair was as much a habit at this point as putting his hat on before he walked out in the mornings. “I brought Cara with me,” he looked up from his wife to find his aunt at the bench with his uncle, clearly telling him about Jack being missing.

“Time to go home?” Alex sounded hopeful as she pulled back enough to look at his face, fingers in his hair at his neck before straightening his coat collar.

“Ready when you are sweetheart, the car is out front. Jacob whole?” He nodded in the direction of his uncle, still grim faced talking to his aunt.

“All old wounds, after quite a bit of complaining and yelling at doctors they agreed he was correct about that. I've been getting stories about you growing up while we waited, baby I need to sleep until we have this little one or I will be tired for the rest of my life.” He let out a loud laugh and Cara turned to look a smile on her face despite it all, and Spencer lifted Alex off her feet before kissing her.

“If you think the baby is the only one who is going to tire you out I'm sorry to say you are wrong wife, how about I just carry you around that way when you get tired from insulting me you don't have to walk.”

She giggled at him, pulling at his hair, “insulting you is so easy and fun my love how could I ever tire of that? Take me home?”

He nodded as Cara and Jacob came over to them, “Cara, meet my wife, Alex.”

“Cara! It is so good to finally get to meet you!” Alex was swept into Cara's arms, Spencer refusing to fully release her, still holding her hand as Cara hugged her. Cara held Alex's face in her hands when she pulled back, looking at her with a smile.

“Thank you for bringing Spencer home, you must be quite a force of nature to follow him all this way, I cannot wait to get to know you.” He quickly had Alex with her back against him once Cara released her and to her credit she merely gripped his forearms now wrapped around her waist.

He leaned forward gently pushing Alex towards the front doors whispering in her ear, “I told you my parents would love you.” She raised her face to him and gave him her beautiful smile.

“And I was right that mine would fucking hate you,” she stroked his cheek. “Best choice I ever made being yours Spencer. Now seriously I'm tired, take me home.”

“Ok honey, let's go for a drive in the country,” he pulled her coat tighter and led her to the car, Cara and Jacob sitting in the back together. Spencer pulled a blanket over Alex and himself, pulling her into his side, she threw her legs over his lap without thought tucking in her spot.

“Do we have enough gas?” He looked at the gauge after her question before looking at her confused.

“Yes?”

“Our last drive in the country didn't exactly go as planned, baby I'm just checking a problem off the list now.” She was smirking at him damn it they were going home but they were not getting sleep tonight.

“That had nothing to do with gas and everything to do with an elephant and the fact that you are distractingly beautiful.”

“Since there are no elephants, lions, sharks or open ocean here Spencer I'll try not to be distracting.” She took too much enjoyment out of teasing him but when she was so happy and content he couldn't argue.

“You'll distract until the day I die baby girl, don't worry about it I'll manage.” Cara was openly laughing at them now and Spencer mentally smacked himself for not remembering they had an audience.

“Oh we're going to have fun dear, you and I, were going to have plenty of fun.” Cara reached to pat Alex's shoulder.

“Take us home Spencer, I need to find out what happened to Jack.” She seemed to see no other option than him dying, Spencer hoped she was wrong but knew deep down that it was the most likely outcome.

With one hand on the steering wheel and an arm around his wife, Spencer pointed the auto towards The Yellowstone, knowing while the actual battle would have been cleaned from the living room it would haunt the family for years. The body of his nephew in a wagon would stick in his brain for years, that night they did not sleep for quite a while with far less fun than he had planned.

He lay there awake for hours in the bedroom he had left behind with his wife laying on his chest, thinking about the years he'd lost with his family that he could never make up now. The family Jack should have grown up to have, the years they should have had running the ranch together Spencer, John and Jack.

“Regretting that you didn't come home sooner?” Her voice didn't surprise him, Spencer knew her better than he knew himself sometimes, he knew when she was awake and just letting him think.

“Not a regret, I would never have met you if I had come home sooner, and there is not a thing or a person in the world that would trade you for. I wish we had more time, I wish we could have all lived here and raised our kids together; I wish they had gotten to meet you, but I don't regret a single second of my time away because it gave me you.”

“I love you, we'll just have to live enough for them too.” She kissed his chest above his heart and he couldn't help but hold her tighter, “you need at least a small nap before you go kill a man before breakfast. I'll not have you getting shot because you are tired and distracted.”

Spencer pressed his face into her hair nuzzling her head, “ok darlin' just a nap you're right it's late.”

“I think it's early at this point, do you have to do this this morning?”

“Yes, while he still doesn't know what happened here, I need to end it.” Spencer was ready for it to be done, nothing between him and the future with Alex that was so close to reach.

“This morning it is then, nap now, you have to wake me though, I don't want to wake up without you.”

“I promise, sleep, I love you,” he tucked the blankets around them curling around her small frame and managed to finally close his eyes and rest. Even if it was only a few hours he had done it, Spencer had slept with his wife at their ranch, she really had told the universe to fuck off and followed through and when he woke her slowly when the sun was just barely poking over the edge of the pastures he couldn't wait to do this for the rest of his life.

Chapter Text

The lawn and porch were still littered with casings when Spencer and Jacob left early to dispatch Whitfield, Alex and Cara standing on the porch watching them drive away, he watched as his aunt wrapped an arm around Alex and ushered her back into the warmth just before they were out of sight. It could be said that they were too attached to each other but he felt like he left his soul behind anytime she was out of his sight, the way she had clung to him until the last minute showed his wife wasn’t worried if she was seen as clingy, she would live the rest of their lives within arms reach of each other happily, he knew that well.

“Your aunt isn’t going to let you leave again you know that right?” he let out a chuckle of course she wouldn’t.

“I'm aware, we have no plans to leave, Alex intends to raise our kids here and I intend to do whatever she wants for the rest of my life.” It was his uncle’s turn to let out a low chuckle.

“I can imagine you do son, she’s a force of nature your girl, figured that out quick yesterday.” It didn’t seem right to be smiling on his way to kill the man that tried to wipe out his family, but he couldn’t help but smile at how quickly his wife had clearly enchanted Jacob and Cara.

“She’s a whirlwind and I'm happy to just follow in her wake. She’s going to want electricity and running water soon, and I'm not going to be able to tell her no. I might have not mentioned those things until after we were married.”

“Cara will join her in that fight, that was a demand after I didn’t die. She’ll appreciate the back up I'm sure.”

“That will be Alex’s next order of business as soon as we get home, I'll have to get it done before the baby gets here.” She might have been happy to live in their beach hut without electricity or running water, she also hadn’t been pregnant at the time, she was still just on vacation now they were home and he would make it perfect for her whatever she wanted she would have. “Do you have a plan for this? Otherwise I'm going to shoot first and not bother with questions.”

Jacob shot him a look that clearly showed he wanted this to be more of a statement, but Spencer was not in the mood for some dramatic meeting; he wanted to get it finished and get home to his wife. “I want to make sure no one messes with us again, I want them to write about what we do to him in the history books.”

“Burn the house down then, I’m home, we won’t be messed with again at least not for a very long time. He won’t learn a lesson when it's going to be followed by a bullet to the brain, and that force of nature has me on strict orders so get this done and get home.”

“That's not enough,” Jacob cut in, angry, which Spencer could understand but anger wouldn't make a difference what he needed was a clear head.

“Nothing will be enough to bring them back, but he'll be dead and we won't be, that's the best revenge you're going to get.” Spencer was not going to go in all hot headed, he has pushed luck enough just to get home and he would not risk the future with his wife and child on some dramatic act of unnecessary vengeance. “I have something to live for, I'm not risking it, ego isn't worth it.”

“You're right, I don't like it, but you're right, and I would like to stay on your girl's good side.”

“It is the safest place to be,” Spencer joked as he pulled up in front of the Whitfield house. He quickly took the location of the few men standing guard, getting out of the car hand already on his pistol and with a few quick shots took down anyone in their way.

Of course Whitfield had to make some stupid speech after Spencer shot him when he walked into the dining room and his whore, he'd let a girl go she clearly hadn't deserved to be there or die that day. He stood back for a minute letting his uncle and Whitfield posture before shooting the man in the head while he was speaking, they burned the house on their way out before heading back to the ranch.

Alex was curled up in a corner of the couch nearest the front door, wrapped in a blanket asleep, his aunt keeping a watchful eye on her from the chair when they walked back in, “she needs more sleep Spencer.”

He kissed Cara's cheek on his way over to his wife, gently picking her up, she muttered his name gripping onto his shirt but not waking up, “I'll take a nap with her, we could both use some more sleep.”

His aunt and uncle nodded and he walked upstairs carefully cradling his armful of Alex, she barely acknowledged the movement nuzzling into him and settling right back into sleep. They had barely gotten sleep last night and he had felt bad waking her before he left this morning but she had insisted, if he didn't know he'd have been in trouble if she woken while he was gone he wouldn't have woken her at all.

She looked like an angel glowing in the soft morning light from the bedroom window when he laid her on the bed to pull off his clothes and throw on a pair of sleep pants, she hadn't bothered to do more than pull on a robe over her nightgown before going downstairs so he worked her out of it careful to still not wake her and shut the curtains before crawling into bed and wrapping his arms around her. This moment was the best revenge he could ever have against Whitfield, the next generation of Duttons who would run The Yellowstone was growing in Alex, his wife who had fought the universe to be with him was in his arms, his aunt and uncle were safe, Spencer was able to live now.

He would miss John and Jack and Emma, he would tell his children stories of them just as he had always been told stories of his sister Elsa who died before Spencer was even a thought. They would bury Jack next to his parents, and Spencer's parents, and he would do everything in his power to make sure it was a long happy life from now but eventually he and Alex would be buried there too. He hoped he went first, he couldn't imagine living in a world without her, couldn't bear the thought of losing her again, he needed her like he needed air.

He was pulled from the morbid line of thought by a gentle nudge against his hand, their boy was awake and he rubbed Alex's bump, the baby settled down again and Alex never woke up. She rolled just a little in her sleep, throwing a leg over his hips, draping herself on his chest ear over his heart, her ringed left hand resting on the scar from the leopard attack right before he met her.

He turned his head, burying his nose into her hair, the feel and scent of her calmed him and eventually her steady breathing lulled him to sleep. He woke slowly, feeling a soft hand brushing his forehead and then his cheek, lips brushing the underside of his jaw and he tightened his arms around Alex. “Darlin',” his voice was rough and from the light he could see beneath his eyelids he knew it must not have been a quick nap.

“Morning baby,” her voice was low and soft, still tracing his face, still draped over him like a blanket. If he didn't know better he might think he was in heaven when she moved just enough to straddle his hips and he realized she had ditched her nightgown and there was only skin beneath his hands.

Opening his eyes he saw her, sitting up above him, a smile teasing her lips, “this is a good wake up.” She giggled as he started to run his hands over every inch of her, he sat up leaning against the headboard, running his lips along her breasts as his hands made their way down to her thighs and eventually her already wet center. He got his pants off quickly before his hands returned to her hips and she pushed herself down onto his cock, their foreheads meeting her moan of pleasure filling the air around them. He cradled her face, as she slowly rode him, lazily kissing her hands tangled in his hair. They were in no rush, they both finally knew they had all the time in the world and wanted to take advantage of it.

When her steady pace started to falter Spencer laid her backwards and took over, he did not speed up remaining gentle and slow but one hand started rubbing soft circles on her clit and her moans increased. When she climaxed around him her soft walls clenching him he followed, the blissful feeling of her cumming around him was the closest to heaven he'd ever be and lucky him he could feel it every day.

They laid there tangled together, just staring at each other, her smile was wide and unguarded as she always was with him, his smile was hopeful that for the first time they really could just be without anything hanging over their heads. This was their first morning of their forever on the ranch and it had already started perfectly in his book.

“All done?” Alex nipped lightly at his lower lip and he pulled her tighter against him, grinding his once again hardening cock against her.

“It's all done sweetheart,” and this time he rolled her beneath him and slid home in a single hard thrust. She arched against him, her nails dragging down his arms as she let out a loud moan, “that's it darlin',” he whispered in her ear a nip to the lobe bringing forth another loud moan. He didn't care if she was loud, hell the whole valley could hear them and he wouldn't care, every noise she made was his favorite until the next one took its place. His hand gripped her thigh pulling her leg up over his hip and with a new angle into her he thrust harder and faster, his name fell from her lips until she couldn't speak anymore and her moans turned to one continuous sound of pleasure. With her back arched her beautiful breasts were at the perfect level for him to lean down and suck hard on her sensitive nipples, his free hand working her clit throwing her over the brink and she drew blood down his arms as she broke around him. He couldn't hold back, he wanted to, wanted to wring all the pleasure out of her body he wanted to feel her cum again but as her walls tightened and she managed to get his name out one more time his vision went white and he came with a last thrust bottoming out in her.

When they were settled again, Alex was propped against pillows and Spencer was laying there talking to the baby, a hand on the bump where he was getting kicks and the only holding Alex's, he raised his eyes to look at his wife she was already watching him with a look of pure love on her face.

“I don't need a new dream, I have everything I want right here, a long life with you and our kids that's my only dream.” Her hand ran through his hair before resting on his cheek, the smile still on her face.

“That's my dream too baby,” he kissed her palm before kissing her bump. Eventually they would have to get out of bed and he would need to go get cattle to ranch but for this moment they didn't need to do anything other than just be there together in their home

Chapter Text

Alex and Spencer settled into life on the ranch easily, the hardest patch was when Spencer had to take the ranch hands and go into the mountains for a week to get them cattle to even run the ranch, he hadn't wanted to leave Alex but she had pushed him to go then while they still had time before the baby was expected. Both of them knew that he would never forgive himself if he missed the birth of their baby, and he knew Alex was still worried about labor; he would not leave her to that without his support. Cara made it very clear that she loved having them at the ranch and she immediately took Alex under her wing, teaching her tasks around the ranch and cooking and baking; all skills Alex had not needed in her pampered life in England.

While Alex has not picked up knitting despite Cara's best efforts to teach her, she could cross-stitch and sew already, and she started quilting a blanket for the baby and a few little outfits. As long as she kept busy the days didn't seem as never ending as the days had been when they separated before. The bed had been too cold and empty without her husband however, it made it difficult to sleep but so did the kicking of their boy who seemed to miss his father too. She understood why Cara was so excited to have them back when the house was quiet, it was too big, John was definitely going to be needing siblings to help him run the ranch eventually but also just to have friends to play with.

Her small bump had popped out while Spencer was gone to the crazies, she had taken to wearing his shirts over the loosest skirts she and Cara could find.

“If Spencer doesn't get home soon he's not going to recognize me,” she whined to Cara towards the end of his week away. She was already tired of not fitting her own clothes and she had promised her paranoid husband that she would not leave the ranch while he was gone, Cara and Jacob were also unwilling to leave her there alone so no one could go to town to get her clothes that fit.

“I know you must be uncomfortable my dear, but you're as lovely as always, don't fret he'll be thrilled to see how much the baby is growing.” Alex knew she was being dramatic but her body was not her own anymore and she missed her husband terribly.

The afternoon that Spencer and the hands returned Matthew came running into the lodge shouting that the cowboys were back, Alex stood on the front porch only caring about one cowboy in particular. She felt immediately calmer when Spencer came into her sight and when he pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply she was whole again.

“When did this happen?” They were getting ready for bed that evening when he came behind her putting his hands under her belly and the ache in her back lessened as he seemed to take the weight of the baby.

“Just a few days ago, I can fit your shirts and that's about it anymore, we'll need to go to town for clothes unless you want me walking around naked.” She teased him as she hooked her arm behind his head fingers playing with his hair as she leaned her back into him.

“I'd always have you naked, I'll just have to get rid of everyone else on this ranch.” She giggled at his possessive nature, he was so much lighter now that they were safe and settled and she loved that she got to see this more carefree version of Spencer.

“Well in that case, just clear the ranch now,” her head fell back against his shoulder as his hands moved from her bump to start undoing the buttons down the front of the shirt she wore. His mouth was already working along her neck as he pulled the open shirt down her arms and she turned to be able to claim his lips with her own. He lifted her like she weighed nothing, their lips never separated as he carried her to the bed and set her down. She had worked his soft sleep pants down with her legs so he only had to kick them off before he could cover her with his body but instead he lifted her again before sitting against their headboard pulling her in his lap and onto his cock in one smooth movement.

“A week without being inside you is entirely too long,” the soft velvet of his voice a delicious contrast to the rough scruff scraping along her neck causing Alex to shiver in pleasure.

“You'll have to just stay here with me forever then,” she was proud of herself for still being able to put a coherent sentence together as she rode Spencer.

His arms held her tighter as he started to thrust up into her instead of letting her take him, her head fell back as her grip on his broad shoulders tightened as Spencer's thrusts brought her closer and closer to the brink of cumming. She broke in waves of pleasure, loud moans slightly muffled by Spencer's mouth as he filled her. They laid tangled together in the bed after, Spencer's hands roaming across her bump gently pressing occasionally to get a kick from their boy.

“I missed you baby, the bed seems much too big without you,” she pressed a kiss to the underside of Spencer's jaw.

“I shouldn't have to be gone for more than a night or two for quite a while,” he dropped a kiss to Alex's head. “And not until after our boy is here and you're completely ready to be without me, not that Cara won't be here to help you.”

“I know, the herd comes first,”

“Darlin' you come first, fuck the rest.” Her joyful laughter filled their room and Spencer pulled her in for a deep kiss before moving down to have his face level with her belly, pressing where John had been kicking his parents for the last few minutes. “You too little one, you come right behind your mama. Don't worry, that's a good place to be, I promise.” The kiss he pressed onto the bump had her giggling more as John kicked out enough to be seen through her skin.

“He's going to need a few siblings you know,” she ran her fingers through Spencer's hair as he turned to look at her from his place at her bump.

“A few huh? I think we can manage that, how about we practice a little more?” He sat up and pulled her down the bed to get on top of her for another round of ravaging.

When Alex fell asleep that night curled up with her husband perfectly content with her life, it might not have been the adventures of Africa she had expected when she ran after Spencer's car, but it was the best life she could have ever asked for.

The next few months went along the same, Alex did finally manage to learn to knit but she would absolutely let Cara continue to make anything she needed for baby John, maybe Alex would be capable of making clothing items by the time the next Dutton baby came around. Spencer hovered more and more the closer the end of her pregnancy came, she didn't complain she enjoyed his undivided attention soaking it in before she would have it no longer.

Her labors started in the night in the late summer, Spencer waking to her pain filled whimpers, he had quickly woken Cara against Alex's protests to let the rest of the house sleep. “We'll send Zane to get the doctor in the morning, but I think we have time yet before this little one will be joining us,” Cara told them before going to start tea and coffee the entire house now awake with them.

They moved downstairs to give Alex more room to pace between her contractions, Spencer a constant presence at her back, rocking her through the contractions as she gripped his arms digging her nails in with each one. “Did I say a few siblings? I think I may have spoken too soon about that.”

They were standing on the front porch her in his arms, a pause in her pacing to watch their final sunrise before it would never be just the two of them ever again. “You are the strongest person I know darlin', if you don't want to do this ever again then we don't have to have anymore babies; but do not try to tell me that you cannot do it, because there isn't a thing you can't do when you set your mind to it. Hell we're standing here on this porch because you made me read those years worth of letters, we made it to Montana in large part due to your force of will.”

She could have melted at that moment, she was so lucky to have this man as her husband, “I love you Spencer Dutton.”

“I love you Alex, you are my very soul,” her next contraction started then ending their conversation. The doctor and a nurse had shown up not long after breakfast had been started by Cara, and while they tried to keep Alex in bed after their arrival she was uncomfortable and just wanted to walk and Spencer had, with a look only a man with considerable blood on his hands and no fear about adding more could pull off, silenced any arguments leaving Alex free to pacing the house and even soak in a bath before her water finally broke at midday.

When she was finally able to push she begrudgingly agreed to get in bed but Spencer went with her much to the obvious disapproval of the doctor and nurse. Her husband sat behind her holding her up so she could push, his reassurances of her strength and determination keeping her going despite her waning energy after over eighteen hours of labor. Cara had taken the place of the nurse after Alex had gotten annoyed and Spencer had sent the woman from the room so she could no longer bother Alex, threatening the doctor that he would do more than that to him if he upset his wife.

Cara got the joy of catching baby John as Alex gave her last push, placing the crying boy on his mother's chest as Alex collapsed on Spencer's chest, “oh he looks just like you.” Alex cried as she finally held her son, Spencer holding them both tears slipping down his cheeks also.

“He's perfect sweetheart, just like his mama,” Spencer told her, as even Cara was teary eyed watching the new family. Jacob came in to meet the newest addition to the Dutton family before Cara came back with a tray of dinner and ushered everyone out of the bedroom leaving the three of them to their first night together.