Chapter 2 - Part 5: Invention of Beauty

The morning began like any other; a broken sink, breakfast to be made, an overflowing washing machine.  Faith set out to accomplish the days' chores before her mind snapped, she had to get out of the house.

She packed up her tackle box and fled to her happy place.  Just her, the water and the fish. 

When life becomes too much and Faith finds herself in the wilderness it means there's a lot on her mind.  The outdoor air helps to relieve some stress about the upcoming event.  Was she ready?  Was she far enough in her career?  Was Pete the right guy for her?  Is this what cold feet feels like?

The fishing line suddenly tugged in a way that Faith had never felt before, almost as if it was saying "ding ding, pull me up".  She gave the pole a heave and saw something flying up at her from the water.

It was the largest, most perfect Angelfish Faith had ever seen.  In fact, it was the first Angelfish she'd ever caught.  Knowing that the Angelfish is a very close relation to the Butterfly fish, Faith couldn't help but wonder if this might have been a message from her mother.  A feeling of calm and serenity came over Faith as she unhooked the fish and set it back into the water.  "Thank you, mom," she said softly, watching it swim away.

Yes, she was ready, her career would wait and Pete was an amazing guy.  Faith would have no cold feet on this, the day of her wedding.

The main wedding venue that most residents of Harmony use was still a painful place for her father to go, being the last place he had been happy with Dixie, so Faith chose her favorite place in town.  The Butterfly Pavilion.

Pete brushed himself off nervously as he stood talking with Augustine, his brother-in-law, and a friend.  The soon to be wed groom came from a rather large family, with several of them making it out for the big day.

Morand kept the guests entertained by showing them pictures of his grandchild, Khalilah, since she was in school and unable to attend the wedding.  Faith's boss and best friend, Lyndsay Jacobs looks on in cleverly concealed humor.

When Faith showed up, she took everyone's breath away.  Morand had gifted her Dixie's own veil as her "something old", she felt like a princess wearing it.

The ceremony itself was short and sweet with Morand and Cecil standing in as witnesses.  Their vows were simple and true to their hearts, above all to love and cherish until death do them part.

It was really the cake that everyone was looking forward to.  Especially Cecil who was able to forgo his strict athletic diet for the day in celebration of his sister's wedding.

The best part about being the bride and groom is that you are first to get your cake while the horde of hungry guests you've invited are forced to attack the thing like a pack of starved sharks at a feeding frenzy.

Once the cake had been decimated and the guests were feeling stuffed, the reception continued with the well wishers congratulating the newly bound couple.  Morand shook Pete's hand, welcoming him to the family (and house) while Faith chatted up Cecil, congratulating him about his recent MVP award.

The reception then turned, as all good Cagley gatherings do, into a dance party.  The newly betrothed couple taking center stage.

Once they'd gotten all their pleasantries out of the way with the guests, the two were able to steal a moment together.  Pete gazed into his wife's glowing face.  "You are so beautiful," he told her, as he stroked her cheek.

He pulled her close to him and whispered in her ear, "I have your something new," he said.  "I bought this place for you and had it renamed the Dixie Cagley Butterfly Pavilion".

Faith was completely taken by surprise and pulled Pete into a hug, almost breaking into tears over his generosity.

"Pete, you shouldn't have," she said when she could finally speak again, "it's too much.  It's amazing.  I love it.  I love you," she said, dabbing a tear from her eye.

He laughed, wiping her other cheek, "You're right, I probably shouldn't have.  Lyndsay informed me now that we're married I have to quit the science lab.  Evidently they don't like it when the boss marries the help," he smiled.  "But," he continued, "I wouldn't have it any other way.  Besides, this will give me a chance to try out some ideas I've been tossing around in my head."

Faith was in far too good a mood to worry about Pete's unemployment status, "What do you say we go home and toss around ourselves?" She said quietly.

They slipped out before any of the guests even noticed.

At home, they flopped down on the bed, taking in a big breath.  Nothing needed to be said, they only laid together, enjoying the quiet after the rush of day.

Above all else, Pete made sure that she was comfortable, taking things at a slow pace, as this would be the first time for both of them.  "I just have one request, wife," her husband said.

"And what is that, husband?" his wife replied.

"Can we turn the picture of your father around?" he answered.

With all the trust in the world, Faith gave herself over to her husband.

Title / Son Ambulance

Chapter 2 - Part 4: Protons Neutrons Electrons

It was likely going to be his last tattoo, so this one had to count.  Morand chose a design that was symbolic of many of the things currently plaguing his mind.  The woman who he had been too late to save from the fire was certainly always in his thoughts.  

He was also about to embark on a very important stage in his life, his last, so he chose the word "Legacy" to be written down his spine in an ancient script and included a pair of angel wings in reference to passing on.  

Once his tattoo was complete, Morand headed home to partake in his last birthday celebration.

It turned out to be quite an affair with many guests showing up to celebrate the man who had saved almost everyone in town at least once.  Faith took this opportunity to invite Pete so he could be introduced to the family.  He seemed quite enamored by his sister's famous sports star brother.

While Faith looked on, Morand chatted up his grand-daughter Khalilah who was growing up so quickly, now a teenager.  She was doing extremely well in school and was currently seeing no less than three boys, hopefully she wouldn't be following in her grandmother's footsteps.

When it came time to blow out the candles, Morand put on a brave face for his party guests, but was in a state of turmoil inside.  What was going to become of him now?  Everyone knew that once you turned Elder your body started to slow down, how long would he have left?

He only had to look over to his family to feel reassured.  They were his whole world, his life's work.

As he made his wish and blew out the candles, he knew that they would be there for him.  He would do his best to be there for them as well, for as long as he could.

However, for someone who's life revolves around bravery and strength, growing old is a hard thing to cope with.

"You look great, dad," Cecil told the newly formed Elder, knowing how hard this birthday was hitting his old man.

He smiled at his son, "Thanks, Cecil.  Luckily you've got a ways to go."  They laughed, but Morand had more to say, "But, son, there's something I want to tell you.  I received a notice the other day.  Your mother has passed away.  I'm sorry," he put his hand on his son's arm.

Cecil looked slightly crestfallen, but perked back up, "As far as I'm concerned, I'm a single parent kid, the result of an immaculate conception."  He smiled and hugged his father.

The next day Faith had agreed to meet Pete at the park, at his request.  It was a bit of an overcast day, but seeing him always brightened up her day.

"That was a great party last night," Pete said, not able to keep a grin off his face.  "I'm glad I was able to finally meet your family, your dad is a riot and your brother is so down-to-earth."

Faith couldn't help but feel giddy whenever Pete was around, "I'm so glad you made it, my dad talked a lot about you after you left, I think he really likes you," she laughed.

"Well," Pete began, "I did have the chance to pull him aside and we had a really productive conversation."

She looked at him, a little confused, "Productive?  That's an odd word to use, what do you mean?"

"Oh, you know, man to man kind of stuff," Pete laughed.  Then his face dropped and he took a deep breath.  "Your dad told me that this park holds some family history for you, that this exact spot is where he proposed to your mother."

Faith was a little surprised, "Really?  I didn't know that."  She always felt a sense of happiness whenever she learned something new about her mother.

"I'm hoping that it can become a part of our family history as well," Pete said, dropping to one knee.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring, holding it up to the shocked Faith.

"Ever since setting my eyes on you in your outrageous lab coat, I knew there was something special about you.  Getting to know you, and now your family, I believe that you're so much more than special.  You're fate, my destiny, my soulmate.  Faith Cagley, I want to spend the rest of our lives together.  Will you marry me?" He finished, out of breath, his nerves making his hands slightly shaky.

She was shocked, but not completely taken by surprise.  Some part of her knew that Pete was 'the one' and that they would eventually get married, so she could only look him in the eye and tell him, "Yes, of course I'll marry you."

She pulled Pete to his feet and wrapped her arms around him.  Everything was going so well, it felt so right.

When Morand received the emergency call his heart started beating faster and for the first time doubt crept into his mind.  Am I ready for this?  Can I even do it? he thought.

Seeing the house engulfed in flames, he tried to push the negative thoughts away and focus.  He still had a job to do.

He jumped right into the blaze as he always did, concentrating on one obstacle at a time.  Pushing all thoughts of failure and doubt from his mind.  He was the Fire Chief, damn it, this is what he was born to do!

His body wasn't as fast as it used to be, though, and it was taking him longer to put the fires out.  He was starting to feel a little nervous that the inferno might be getting out of his control when he heard a scream.  A female screaming...

At once his mind went dark and his imagination went to the darkest of places, to the image of the burning woman, covering his view, filling him with the most all encompassing feeling of dread.  It was all my fault, he said to himself, freezing in place.  His self-doubt taking control, until the piercing sound of terrified screams penetrated his mind.

"Not again," he said out loud.

He shook his head, clearing his mind from the ghosts of the past, racing around the back of the house where he saw a young girl trapped by the fire.  He jumped in front of her and extinguished the flames as quickly as he could.

Once the flames had died out, he grabbed the girl and flung her over his shoulder, carrying her safely away from the burning building.  His adrenaline was racing as he rushed her to safety.  He was berating himself that he'd nearly been paralyzed with fear, it could have meant another life.  More blood on his own hands.

Putting the girl down, Morand felt his back crack and struggled to stand up again.  He was in excruciating pain, but he forced himself to push on and finish the job, these people weren't going to lose their home with him on the watch!

Once the job was done, he was in so much pain, and still seeing the ghost of the woman floating in his mind's eye, that he came to the difficult realization that he wasn't able to fulfill the duties he had sworn to.  

He called in and retired.

OUTTAKES

"Is is supposed to tingle there?"

Title / Cat Empire

Chapter 1 - Part 8: Baby's on Fire

The day of the wedding was here before anyone knew it, yet Morand couldn't have been more excited or proud.  While he waited for his blushing bride to arrive he laughed and joked with the few friends that were invited.  Nerves didn't play into this scenario at all, because the man wasn't nervous or scared to be getting married, he'd been waiting for her his whole life.

To keep Cecil from getting too bored, Morand allowed him to invite his best friend Jett to the wedding.  The two immediately tore up the place by playing tag, their laughter filling the small wedding venue.

When Dixie showed up, she took the rooms' breath away, looking radiant in her gown and veil.  Morand had never felt happier or more in awe of a person.

The happy couple didn't believe in the old wives' tale of not seeing the bride before the wedding, and it was all Morand could do to keep his hands off his beautiful fiance and play with his unborn child.

All too soon it was time to get down to what they came for.  The groom and best man took their places and their guests found seats to stand in front of. 

For the first time today, Morand felt a twinge of nervousness.  It wasn't because he was scared of being married, but he worried about his ability to provide for this growing family.  A fireman's pay wasn't exactly leaving him in the lap of luxury and Dixie's budding music career was getting off to a slow start.

Those thoughts of doubt and worry floated away the moment Dixie started making her way down the aisle, albeit not the most gracefully.  The two loved each other, that was enough and would get them through anything.  While it's true that love doesn't pay the bills, working as a team and keeping each other strong definitely helped.

Once the ceremony started, the guests couldn't control their emotions and wept openly for the couple.  Little Jett Boggs cried in happiness for his friend Cecil who, for the first time in his life, would feel what it's like to have a mother.

Morand could only stare at his beautiful bride with a look of utter giddiness on his face.

"With this ring, I thee wed..." Dixie said, their lines memorized.  "I promise to love and cherish you, and above all else, while you are fighting fires elsewhere, to keep yours burning at home."  The older audience giggled.

"Ooh!" Dixie exclaimed, "Baby Cagley is excited about the wedding."  She rubbed her stomach where it felt like the baby was doing summersaults.  "It's ok, baby, soon enough.  Let Daddy make an honest woman out of Mommy, now."

Morand laughed and proceeded along with the ceremony.  "I promise to love, honor and cherish you.  I also promise to fix any and all plumbing issues and repairs as well as not steal all the blankets at night," he said as he slipped the ring onto her finger.

That's when Baby Cagley decided enough was enough and it was time to come out into the world.

Morand started panicking immediately, throwing his arms up in the air.  The wedding guests were mostly frozen with shock.  

It was Dixie who remained the most calm, telling Morand to go get the car, that they needed to head to the hospital.

Morand bolted for the door, with conflicted feelings running through his head.  He was excited about the baby coming, but felt terrible that the ceremony was interrupted.  They would simply have to reschedule the wedding for another day.  At least this way they were guaranteed another audience member.

One of the really useful perks of being a fireman is the ability to drive insane speeds through town with sirens blaring.  They made it to the hospital in record time.

Dixie radiated with happiness as she entered the hospital, excited about this new future ahead of them.  Morand quickly followed her in.

Several hours later, he left without her.

"We did everything we could, we're sorry" is all they had to say for what happened.  He only knew was that she was gone.  She had been holding the baby, with Morand standing next to her.  

"Have faith," she had said before slipping away.

Have faith.  That's all he had left.

Faith.

Title / Brian Eno