A Little Braver - Epilogue
So, while I am writing this, iTunes decided to pass the SONG that inspired the title of this fic. I am not crying... So here we are, the epilogue and I am seriously ready to cry. This fic has been a huge part of a year and a half. 458k words, 76 chapters, a lot of pain and tears and laughter too. I will miss it so badly that you all have no idea. I want to thank all of the people who have read this fic, commented and went through this journey with me. Thank you. I love you all ❤️
So, the epilogue is a tad different. I decided to have Aelin tell us the story in first person. Is set 5 yrs later. I did try in third person but it did not have the same vibe and was far too flat. In first person I did manage to add a bit of Aelin’s touch. She just tells us what had happened. The second part.... well It’s just a scene and... the fluff reigns..
So here we are... my last banner and... enjoy the epilogue... I'll be in a corner in tears.
5 years later
My name is Aelin Whitethorn Galathynius and we left mine and Rowan’s story on our wedding day with also the news that I was pregnant, making my husband the happiest man on this planet.
Since that day, five years have gone by and our lives have evolved. Married life had its ups and downs but after we have gone through to reach this point, we are not scared anymore. Learning to be parents had been elating and frightening at the same time and let’s not forget exhausting.
The biggest piece of news is that I am no longer a captain at east station. My first shift back after the wedding I had a meeting with Dorian and confessed him the reason why I could no longer be a firefighter on active duty. It was time for my own plan B so I gave Chief O’Neill the great news that quite soon he would be able to finally retire and that I was happy to take over.
Three months later I became Chief Galathynius, the first woman to run the academy. Another first to add to my list. Take that Havilliard snr. People often ask me if I regret stepping down. No, I have the life I wanted, I have a daughter and honestly I adore being at the academy.
My beloved husband is still loving being a paramedic and he and Elide have formed an amazing pair. I know he loved flying but it seems like he was born to work in an ambulance. On the side, he has started helping out with the air ambulance when they are in need of a pilot paramedic. He loves it and it cures the itch when he feels the need to be in the sky. Any chance to have him in a jumpsuit…
As you remember, on our wedding day I announced that I was pregnant. Well, our daughter came to this world during an horrendous winter storm. Rowan had begged me to go join him at east station where they were sure to have generators. My beloved daughter must have inherited the flare for the dramatic from be because she decided to come to this world on a very inopportune night and Rowan ended up delivering her. Oh yes, our Iceman cried. Dramatics aside, she is Rowan through and through, my tiny buzzard and also the official mascot of the firehouse.
Since my appointment at the fire academy, Manon had gradually stepped up and was acting captain until it was time for her to take her captain test. I personally trained her at the academy and I am positive she will grow into a super capable captain. Brullo is still a lieutenant on engine while Asterin has officially become a lieutenant on truck, taking over from Manon. Luca left us for hazmat no longer after his appointment and according to Alex, he is doing wonderfully. The rest of the team hasn’t changed much. Brullo is still with us and he is officially the man with the longest serving record in the whole of the TFD. He is a legend and still a lieutenant. When Dorian opened new houses he offered one to him but Brullo refused with the same stubbornness he rejected my offer a long time ago. I asked Dorian if the day he retires he can be appointed as captain ad honorem at east station. The man is the dad of that station, its beating heart and its soul and he deserves to be its captain even if just in a ceremonial way.
After Luca left us for the guys in funny suites I tried and get them a new candidates but apparently they were not as lucky as we had been with Borte. East went through a few bad apples before I sent Hasar. She had been super at the academy and is now doing really well and blends in very well with the team.
And now the juicy gossips. Ress got married to Lizzie, yes the captain at north. I had no idea they were even dating. We just discovered it when he came in and gave us the invitations. You can imagine the shock, and Ansel had complained that the gossip channel had broken down and we missed such an important piece of information. The two have been married now a few years and they make a cute couple. Nox tied the knot too with a paramedic at central station, but this one we knew all about it. Elide and Rowan had been the ones in charge of the snooping and were the one feeding us the juicy details since Nox refused to spill the beans. Yes, my dearest husband has been caught in the gossip madness. Now he is my main source of juicy news from east station. Our Borte and Luca have finally moved in together and Ansel and Fen are still house buddies with benefits. They did not put a label on their relationship, they are exclusive, but they are happy. Fenrys, the troublesome pilot has grown into an amazing firefighter. Not long ago he made lieutenant after Aedion’s second got his own firehouse when a few more houses opened up. Moon Moon has proven to be an asset for the TFD. They all had reservations on him when he started, but I am glad he proved them all wrong. I am thinking on making him the poster boy for the TFD. They certainly love him at the academy when he come to help with training when either Aedion, Marcus or Lizzie cannot come out. He is a very popular instructor.
The biggest piece of gossip is Elide and Lorcan getting married. I know, right? Can you believe it?She just came back on shift one day and announced that she and Lorcan eloped. Imagine the madness that ensued in the firehouse at the news. Lysandra and I were of course super proud of Elide. But the funniest part in all of this is Lorcan took Elide’s surname. Yes, he is Lorcan Lochan. The mocking is endless believe me, but Elide explained that it was a way for him to close with his past and celebrate a new him. Still, I laughed so hard when Elide told me. So, the taming of the grump has happened and now we are just waiting for them to start popping out kids.
With regards to the children subject, Lys and Aedion had a girl two years after Aidan and now there is another baby on the way. We joke that they are trying to create their own hockey team.
Lysandra is still at the academy and had been promoted to senior instructor. We all think that she will be chief of paramedics once Chief Harker retires. I can totally see her doing that. Aedion is thriving at camp Ashryver. With a vet association, he has started a project to offer veterans new skills after they retire and now we have a few ex military men and women who had joined the ranks. It’s an incredible project and Dorian was super supportive. Aedion roped in Fen too who is very happy to help. I have been told that they try to keep the inter forces mockery at bay. I have my doubts.
Speaking of Dorian… he became the Commissioner. Darrow retired a few years back and he got promoted and Ilias became the new chief. Dorian is the friggin commissioner of the TFD and I can’t tell you of the progress we made in a short time under his rule. He and Ilias have been a driving force towards the changes we desperately needed. Dorian gave us five more houses and now we have a total of ten and I am super busy training firefighters to man them all properly. It’s such a difference from nine years ago when we had two houses and three vehicles to cover the whole of the city. Darrow was a good commission but Dorian put so much pressure on the politicians that they had to find the funds. He jokes that now his name is banned from the train company and from politics too. Speaking of projects, my outreach programme for girls is going swimmingly. Manon, Asterin, Ansel, Borte and Lizzie help me out and we have open days at the station, at the academy and we also attend job fairs at high schools to show that girls can be firefighter if they want to. It’s slowly gaining momentum and I have seen a nice rise in female applicants at the academy. Some of the regional teams have started to accept more females too and a while ago regional fifteen finally celebrated its first female captain. There is definitely wind of change and the Perringtons of the TFD are finally disappearing. Oh yes, the bastard has been kicked out after he messed up big team and got two of his men killed. It’s always heartbreaking when two more badges end up in the hall of heroes, but the man got what it deserved. Dying because your captain is incompetent it’s the worst way to go. It created a massive uproar.
Outside the firehouse we have the rest of Rowan’s old friends. The flight school is doing really well and now the guys have also added an helicopter for tours for tourists. That had become popular overnight. Connall finished his year without any more deployment and retired as soon as he was able.
And then we have the rest of the Whitethorn clan. Sellene finally achieved her goal of opening her small law firm with some of her old colleagues from the big corporate job. She is much happier and both Rowan and I feel better. She still helps at the restaurant as a baker. Believe me, her baking classes have paid off. Sellene has created for me the perfect chocolate hazelnut cake. Rowan just scoffs and begs his cousin not to fuel my obsession with chocolate, but Sellene loves me and ignores him.
Enda and Micheal’s restaurant has become incredibly popular and a sort of firefighter favourite. The news spread fast among the smoke eaters clan and the two have now also started a delivery option and firehouses and police too are the worst offenders. Enda also offers us a good discount but yeah, the success spread like a wildfire. No pun intended.
To remain in clan Whitethorn’s subject, Rowan and I finally went to Wendlyn for our honey moon. My dearest husband made me take the ferry because we all know how paranoid he is with commercial flights. His excuse was that since I was five months pregnant, that was the most comfortable option. A drive to Rifthold, an overnight ferry to Varese and then another few hours drive to his uncle’s estate in the countryside outside Doranelle. It took us three days. We all know the truth, right? The whole honey moon we stayed at uncle Ellys’ farm and gallivanted around the country like two tourist.
Now, I love the Whitethorns. First of all, silver hair is definitely a trait in the family, some of them verge in very light blonde, but silver is the main feature. Green eyes are almost quite popular but not as much. Enda’s parents are absolutely adorable and the entire clan is a bunch of huggers. Rowan really must have popped out wrong. Anyway, the highlight of the trip was meeting grandma Ciara, the lady with the stew. She is over ninety years old. But if uncle Ellys is the head of the clan, she is its heart and soul. The woman in incredible and her stew is just as legendary and the cousins said. Also she took the challenge of keeping me fed in her stride. I swear, I am glad I was fat because I was pregnant, because I am positive I gained a few kilos while there. Rowan and I bought a cottage outside Doranelle in the countryside. Rowan had the idea while we were there and his uncle helped us to buy and fix it up nicely. Now it has become our vacation home and Maya loves it too and she enjoys getting all the attention from her family.
It has been five interesting years and I know that Rowan and I are the happiest we have ever been in our lives. It was all worth it in the end.
***
Aelin was running late. After her last class she had stayed behind to answer some of the questions from her students, but now was late from picking up Maya from school. Rowan was on shift so on that day it was her turn. She parked quickly in front of the school and ran inside the building and reached the class. Her daughter was sitting on her table colouring silently “sorry I am late.”
Maya looked up at her and gave her mother a grin and dropped her pastels “mama,”
Aelin moved to her and crouched “hello, my love. Sorry mum is late,” a kiss on her silver hair “ready to go and see dad?” At the same time she put away her daughter’s pencils and colouring book in her backpack and lifted her in her arms.
They reached the car and Aelin placed Maya in the car seat “we are going at the station to dad.”
“Meoooo, meoooo,” Maya loved being at the firehouse and sometimes when she was off and Rowan was on shift she would go and spend the day with him. Their daughter had quickly gained a vast array of uncles and aunties but the little girl had a soft spot for Brullo who would sneak her biscuits and Fenrys who would take her on the truck and pretended to go on a call with her. She still could not pronounce his name properly so the man had quickly become uncle Moo Moo. For his promotion Aedion had given him a bunker jacket reading Lieutenant uncle Moo Moo and Fenrys wears it with pride.
The kids were now a permanent fixture in both firehouses
They arrived ten minutes later and Aelin grabbed her daughter in her arms. All the vehicles were in, good.
She walked the familiar path to the common room and saw the team relaxing. It was evening. Manon had probably finished her rounds of drills and allowed her team to finally stand down.
Maya wiggled in Aelin’s arms and she put her down “Dada!” The little girl ran for her father and Rowan picked her up in a swift motion.
“Your favourite fan is here.” The team went to greet the little girl who was taken from Rowan’s arms and passed around while she giggled happily.
Her husband walked to her and stooped for a kiss “hey you,” then his hand went down to her stomach to the bump that was just starting to show “and hello to you as well,” he looked at her “how are you two doing?”
“Better, nausea seems to have gone now that I am in my second trimester but I feel tired.”
Aelin caressed his face “how has shift been so far?”
Rowan chuckled “the puke count has only been two. Elide and I are calling it a good day.”
“Are you staying for dinner?” Asked Ress in the background from the cooking station “ I have dinosaur nuggets for the little one.”
Maya’s grinned while in the man’s arms “dino.”
“Yes, dino,” Ress grabbed one of the frozen animals and pretended to attack her with a roar. Maya laughed brightly.
“Ress, we need to tell Lizzie to start popping out kids. You are definitely brooding.” Ansel joined him in the kitchen and the man nodded “ah, we will get there eventually.”
“I love firehouse babies.”
“Ansel, we have a lot already,” added Ren.
“Yes, but not enough,” she complained grabbing an apple.
“Well, you and Fen can get busy in that department if you want one.” This time the joke had come from Brullo sitting on the sofa as usual.
Ansel almost chocked “No, Fen and I will play uncle and auntie.”
Aelin, still in Rowan’s arms watched the scene with fondness. Some days she missed being at the station, but luckily she spent enough time there to enjoy such scenes quite regularly.
In that instant dispatch alarm went off and the ambulance was called. Rowan ran to his daughter and kissed her quickly and then went to Aelin “I’ll see you when I am back.”
Ress walked with Maya in his arms and they both walked off to the apron to wave off the ambulance.
“Bye bye dada,” the little girl waved at the two paramedics then Ress brought her back to the rest of the team.
Aelin plopped heavily on the sofa.
“Cap, you okay?”
Even if she was not their captain anymore, the nickname was still there just as she still called Rowan captain.
“Yeah, the wee one is making sure I know he is there.”
Ansel joined her “how can Lys do it a third time I have no idea. For me it was enough to see the ones I delivered in my ambulance runs. Yuck.”
“Yes, but look at the result,” both women turned to the little girl who was sitting on the main table and Asterin was playing with her “she is the most precious thing.”
“She is cute.”
Maya started fussing so Asterin brought her back to Aelin and the little girl snuggled against her mother “she is tired,”
“Her nuggets are almost ready,” called Ress from the kitchen counter.
Ten minutes later Ress placed a plate on the table and Aelin carried her daughter to it.
Brullo sat at her side waving a bottle of ketchup “ketchup?”
Maya extended her tiny arms “ketup”
“We are not telling dad, okay?” Brullo squeezed a bit of tomato sauce on the nuggets and cut a few for her.
Aelin brushed her long hair and the girl giggled. Her mouth now smeared with the red sauce.
Rowan decided that moment to come back from his run with Elide and gasped at seeing his daughter dipping her food in ketchup. He was the healthy eater of the family and made sure Maya ate properly too, but Aelin from time to time sneaked her some non Rowan approved food.
“Dino!” Pipped the girl showing her father the animal shaped chicken.
“Did you give Maya ketchup?”
“Rowan, you know I can’t say no to your little girl.”
Rowan relaxed and kissed his daughter’s head then went to the fridge and grabbed some of the mini carrots and passed two to Maya.
“No, buzzard.”
Rowan looked at his daughter in shock and then at his wife. Aelin in response just shrugged.
“Maya?”
“No.” Aelin giggled in silence at the scene.
Rowan ate a carrot and looked at her “you are in trouble young lady,”
His wife stood and stole the carrot from his hand and ate it then kissed him “how was the run?”
Elide was the one who answered “just the usual early Friday night drunkard.”
Later on while the adults dined, Maya had fallen asleep on the sofa, covered by the blanket that they kept at the station for her.
“I think I need to take her home,” Aelin gently picker the girl in her arms and Rowan walked to her and hugged his girls “Yes, go home and rest,” his hand brushed her stomach
“and look after peanut too.”
Aelin kissed him “I love you.”
“I love you all three.”
-
It was later in the afternoon the following day when Rowan finally managed to go home from his shift. His girls should be already at home and he was looking forward to spend some time with them.
“Dad is home,” he called from the door as he got rid of his jacket and shoes.
No one answered so he walked to the living room “girls?”
“Dada shhhh.”
As he walked to the sofa he saw Aelin laying down and Maya was on her side and her face was on her mother’s exposed baby bump “peanut” she added while caressing the belly.
He walked to his two girls and kneeled at the side of the sofa and added his hand on the stomach and that’s when he felt a faint kick.
“He started this morning, the first few kicks.” Aelin’s soft and still sleepy voice reached him. She had opened her eyes as soon as she felt his presence at her side.
Rowan grabbed his daughter’s hand and moved it to the spot where he felt it “Say hi to your baby brother.”
“Hi peanut” and went back with her head on her mother’s stomach.
He spotted bird Rowan at Aelin’s side and made it walk to Maya and the girl grabbed it quickly squeezing it tightly.
Maya had fallen in love with the toy from the start and it became very quickly her favourite “bird Rowan is mine.”
“Of course he is yours.”
“Are you ladies hungry?”
“Rowan and I want food,” she pushed the toy in her father’s face.
Rowan lifted her in his arms and the girl squealed as he carried her to the kitchen like a potato sack.
Aelin trailed behind them and stared at the image in front of her. She loved her life, her family and the future that she and Rowan were creating day by day. She patted her bump “let’s go to dad and your sister before they leave us without dinner.”
In the kitchen she saw Maya on her high chair chewing a few carrots, while Bird Rowan sat on the table at her side.
Rowan was at the counter making food and Aelin walked to him and her hands landed on his hips “What are you making to your two starving girls?’
“Fancy mac and cheese tonight?”
Aelin kissed his neck “you really are the man of my dreams.”
“Maya, dad is making mac and cheese.”
“Food!” She shouted, banging her fists on the table “Food!”
Maya was a little bottomless pit like her mother and he had soon learned that she would turn hangry just like Aelin if not fed within a certain time limit.
While Rowan cooked, Aelin went to grab Maya’s chocolate milk and poured a glass for her “drink this, my love.”
Rowan looked at his two girls playing at the table and smiled when Maya had chocolate moustaches but his laughter grew louder when Aelin turned and saw she had the same. Gods he loved them so much.
“Clean that moustache and eat,” he said to Aelin placing a big plate in front of her, then with a napkin cleaned Maya’s face “you are just as messy as your mum.”
“Dada, I want food.”
Rowan sat at the table and filled a plastic spoon with food for Maya “just this one then you try okay?”
Between the two of them they had been teaching her to use cutlery. Maya could use a spoon grabbing it with the full hand and was learning to spear food with a fork. Cutting food was still far too early.
“Good food.”
“Do you like it?”
“Yes.”
The meal over, Aelin helped clean the kitchen and while they did, Maya sat happily in the living room on her carpet playing with bird Rowan and her lego bricks.
She loved the colourful blocks and she and her father loved to build all sort of constructions. From the kitchen they heard her babbling away, usually telling stories to the toy.
“I wonder what she is telling him now.”
“Oh, maybe she is telling him all the wonderful adventures about the firehouse.”
“Go with her, we are done here, I just put away the last few things and I will join you,” Aelin kissed him and swayed away.
The three of them spent the evening on the sofa until Maya fell asleep across her parent’s laps.
Rowan took her upstairs and when he got back down in the living room he found his wife in front of the fireplace staring at the box with the piece of hangar. She was brushing her bump and telling their unborn son the story of how his parents met.
Rowan joined her and folded his arms around her, hand with her on her stomach.
“Your mum was amazing, little one. She was fierce and stole my heart quickly,” he kissed her neck softly “she is the best mum you can have.”
Aelin chuckled “dad is a grumpy buzzard sometimes but he will love you to no end.”
They stood in that position for a while with Rowan swaying gently and caressing her bump and eliciting a kick from their son.
“Over eight years from that January morning…”
Rowan kissed the back of her head “I would not change a single thing. All that we have been through led us here. No matter the separations, the pain and all of our fears if it led to this. I’d do it all over again.”
Aelin sniffled “Little one, you need to know that your dad is a sappy old man.”
Rowan roared with laughter “And your mum is a menace.”
“Your menace.”
She turned and buried her face in his chest and her husband hugged her tightly.
“Thank you for being a little braver with me, paramedic Rowan Whitethorn-Galathynius.”
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