Hello, darlings! I've been seriously procrastinating on posting this last chapter because I really don't want this story to end *sniffles* but I'm afraid it must...

Thank you once more to everyone for reading and reviewing. I truly appreciate you taking your precious time to do so, it means a lot to me!

Shout-outs to: The Ginger Midget, Sparky She-Demon, IheartStewart20, CaptainArwenPond221B, MaraJade13243, canis lupus familiaris, Kiley S Snape, Fairyflights, DarkEnigma322, fallenstar80, Rumpelstiltskin0902, immysaurus, jackiemack916, kaia, Claire, Cloudcity'sBookworm, Tempest1444. And to those who've sent me private messages too, you are too kind!

Time Knows No Boundaries ~ Epilogue

You are the avalanche, one world away
My make believing while I'm wide awake
Just a trick of light to bring me back around again
Those wild eyes, a psychedelic silhouette
I never meant to fall for you
But I was buried underneath and
All I could see was white
My salvation, my, my
My salvation, my, my...
'Salvation' – Gabrielle Aplin

.:*:.

(One year later... )

A gentle breeze drifted in through the open bedroom window, stirring the net curtains, and bringing with it the sound of distant gulls' cries and the smell of salty sea air. The breeze meandered its leisurely way through the room towards the couple on the bed, whose slumbering forms were entangled amongst the sheets and each other, looking entirely at peace with the world.

The fair-haired young man was the first of the two to awaken. His eyes remained closed as he lay for a few minutes, enjoying the feel of the light breeze upon his face. He inhaled deeply, his senses acutely aware of every little thing; breathing in the fresh aroma of the pillows, savouring the softness of the linen upon which he was rested; appreciating each deep, regular breath he took as he filled his lungs with delicious fresh air. As had been his waking routine every day for the last year, James sent a silent thank you up to the stars for the incredible fact that he was indeed alive...wonderfully, gloriously alive.

Finally opening his eyes, he slowly turned his head to glance over at the bedside table. A silver pocket watch was lying open there, currently reading a quarter to six, its polished outer casing winking friendlily at him in the soft evening light.

He then turned his attentions to the sleeping woman beside him and could not suppress a tender smile from playing upon his lips. Now this was a sight he would not mind getting used to waking up to every day... Her head was pillowed against his chest, one arm draped lightly across his bare torso; red hair tumbled like ribbons over her shoulders. With one long forefinger, James began to trace patterns over the freckled skin. Her skin was as soft as silk and wonderfully warm and his hand delighted at this wide playground. She mumbled something in her sleep and snuggled closer. His smile widening, James couldn't resist tugging the sheet down a little so that his fingers could continue on their path, tiptoeing down the curve of her spine.

He lay there in happy reflection of the last few hours. They had indeed been something very special.

Certain memories floated to the surface of his mind's eye... how his heart hammered with mounting anticipation, his whole being afire with nerves but also with quivering excitement as his fingers deftly loosened her hair from its ponytail... his delight at discovering that her freckles were not confined only to her face and arms... Neither of them had wanted to rush this, wishing to enjoy every single moment, losing themselves entirely in one another, so that neither could tell where one began and the other ended.

While their relationship had blossomed these past months and many a heated kiss or caress had been exchanged between the two, these recent nights they'd shared had been the first time they had ever seen the other entirely in the nude. This was something new, something hitherto clothed, private. It would not have been right at any other time. James may well have been slowly growing acclimatised to many aspects of the twenty-first century but he was still an Edwardian gentleman at heart and therefore some of his Edwardian principals were not going to be quick to diminish entirely. He had wanted to wait until after they were wed. While Martha was happy to respect his wishes, she did have her restraint incredibly tested at times.

However - at last, at last - her patience had been wonderfully rewarded... Martha may have had more experience than he in these matters but as she had soon discovered during those secluded twilight hours of the last week, he was an extremely fast learner... He was a fiercely passionate and hungry lover one moment, and then could be almost painfully shy the next as she encouraged his gentle but inquisitive explorations of her body. James was highly gratified for her uninhibited responses to his loving; he so longed for this to be just as special for her also, fully aware of how much her trust had been tarnished somewhat by Elliot's past misdemeanours.

But those memories of hurt were completely banished away, no more than a distant dream as her soft body melded exquisitely with his, and James knew that something much more than the physical act of love was passing between them. As her eyes locked with his own, there held an unspoken understanding: this was where they each truly belonged. She was his best friend, his other half, his lover...his wife... In one another, they had found home.

His gentle ministrations to her back caused her to suddenly stir. James leaned back slightly to watch as those green eyes that he loved so much glided open as she slowly awoke and finally came to rest upon him.

"Hello there, Mrs. Nicholls," he murmured in greeting.

She responded with a sleepy smile, the gesture sending James' heart somewhere to the vicinity of his knees.

"Mmm...Hello, husband," she answered contentedly, her voice unguarded from sleep.

Martha leaned up to kiss him but a wide yawn overtook her instead at which James let out a chuckle. Instead, she stroked her fingers through his golden-brown curls which he had let grow from the neatly cropped style he had before and tugged gently at the hairs nestled at the nape of his neck.

Oh, thank God for that, he is real, she thought. She had lost count of how many times over the past year that she had had to pinch herself, that he really was here with her and all of this wasn't just a beautiful dream.

She shifted her body so that she was sitting astride him, her hands roaming across the broad valley of his chest, thoroughly enjoying this landscape of manliness. How many times had she fantasized something along these lines...but the reality was far better than any dream could conjure up. She flexed her fingers so that her nails ever so lightly skimmed over his skin and gave an impish smile when she noticed the sensitive flesh tremble at her touch. Martha remembered her delight when she had first discovered that he was in fact extremely ticklish.

At her knowing smirk, James narrowed his eyes at her, already one step ahead of what she was concocting.

"Don't - you – even - think – about it," he warned with a growl, enunciating each word slowly.

Martha raised her eyebrows. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said in an innocent tone which did not fool him in the slightest.

"Martha...no - !"

He let out a yelp as he found himself at the mercy of one of her tickle attacks. Between gasps and yells of laughter, he squirmed and wriggled as he tried in vain to evade her playful fingers as they scrabbled at his ribcage. Certain he wouldn't be able to take it for much longer, an idea suddenly sprang to mind. Nimbly capturing those naughty hands of hers, James pinned and held them fast, preventing her from tickling him further. In a bid to distract her, he leaned forward to run kisses down the hollow of her throat. Martha gave a shuddery gasp of pleasure, immediately melting at his touch. James smiled against her skin at her involuntary reaction, pleased his diversion plan was succeeding. Martha's lips eagerly sought his, the tickle fight very quickly forgotten about. Finally, he pulled away a little but still remained close enough so that their noses brushed against one another.

"Do you yield?" he whispered against her lips.

"Never," she giggled in reply.

"I thought not..." James said, followed by a soft laugh.

He leaned back against the headboard as Martha settled herself onto his lap with a small sigh. A quiet fell between them for a time, content to simply enjoy the closeness of the other. She leaned her head against his chest and smiled as she heard the steady thrumming beat of his heart. She could never get enough of hearing that sound. It was a constant reminder of the incredible gift they had been bestowed.

"Jim?" she asked after a while, her fingers now stroking lazy circles in the soft down on his arm.

"Mm?"

"Are you as happy as I am right now?"

James trailed his hands leisurely along her thighs and up towards her hips and back again, creating a path of goosebumps as he did so.

"Well, that depends," he said, with a challenging gleam in his eye, "Just how happy are you?"

Martha pursed her lips in an expression of mock contemplation.

"Hmm...well, I've just got married to this wonderful, kind, gorgeous man... We're spending our honeymoon in a most beautiful place by the sea where the views are to die for...and I've just spent the afternoon making love with said wonderful..." She dropped a soft kiss first to his chest, the light smattering of hair tickling her nose, "...kind..." Then another on his cheek, "...gorgeous husband..." and finally engaging in a lingering kiss on the lips, "...who I love with all my heart and going to spend the rest of my life with. Yeees...I do believe that makes me very happy indeed."

She gave a muffled squeal as, without warning, James rolled her over onto her back. Covering her body with his own, he kissed her deeply, delving long fingers into her hair, trying to show all his feelings in one motion. He seemed to be pouring his very soul into that kiss alone. Martha could not help but emit a low moan as she held him close, wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders, relishing this delicious warmth of his bare flesh against hers.

Finally releasing her, he said rather breathlessly, "Then in answer to your original question, my darling, I could not be any happier."

Martha beamed and could feel her heart soar to hear him say those words, for it had not always been the case.

She had known what a struggle it had been for him having to adjust to the modern world even if he did not always care to admit so. The transition did not exactly begin smoothly, especially during those first few months. When all was said and done, he had needed to be tutored on all there was to know about the modern century, which James found to be both remarkable and horrifying. Some things he managed to grasp quickly...others he did not. This would make him increasingly frustrated and even lose his patience at times, feeling like a child who was learning to walk all over again. This in turn led to tensions running high and sometimes quarrels would erupt between he and Martha. At one point, the couple did not speak to one another for three whole days and she had begun to fear that he was living to regret his momentous decision to live in this crazy century.

However, these were mere storms in teacups and they would pass. James would remind himself of the incredible gift of a second chance he had been granted, knowing how terribly lost he would be had it not been for Martha and humbly plead forgiveness for being such a terrible pupil. But she would only envelope him in a hug to assure him all was well, that it was still very early days and he should not be so hard on himself.

Her father had offered James a position in his own accountancy office just as a temporary measure in order to help him find his feet in this new century. But when the time came where he wanted to seek employment elsewhere more suited to his tastes and talents, Greg said he was more than happy to put in a good word for him. Martha was so pleased that her dad had welcomed James into their family so heartily. Aside from the fact that it was clear he made his little girl happy, Greg found the younger man to be a keen and reliable worker. James got along tremendously well with his new father-in-law and, perhaps because he was only one apart from Martha who was aware of his connection to their family history, Greg had taken a great shine to James in a way he certainly never had done with her ex-boyfriend, Martha realised in hindsight.

James' stomach let out a sudden rumble and it dawned on him that neither of them had had a bite to eat since that morning.

"While I quite like the idea of being able to survive on love alone, perhaps we should leave our little nest to satisfy our hunger in some other way, hm?" he suggested.

Martha gave a little sigh, reluctant to leave his warm embrace.

"I guess you're right," she replied, "I'm pretty hungry too actually..." She sat up and stretched luxuriously like a cat, "Let me go take a shower first..."

James propped himself up on one elbow as he watched her through half-lidded eyes, drinking all of her in as she wrapped herself in one of the bed sheets. She rose and padded the length of the room in the direction of the ensuite bathroom, clutching the sheet to her. As she reached the bathroom door, she paused to peek back at him over her shoulder.

"Want to come and join me?" she added, shooting him a flirtatious grin.

Despite his earlier words, James favoured her with a sly smile of his own, "How could a man refuse such an offer from his wife?" he answered.

He moved towards her, treading purposefully with all the lithe gracefulness of a stalking leopard during a hunt. His cornflower-blue eyes never once left hers and Martha found it exceedingly difficult to concentrate on remembering how to breathe. She already knew that her husband was beautiful. But the sight of him now with the evening summer light pouring through the windows shining upon his lean but finely-sculpted figure, he was truly breathtaking. She thought her heart might just burst, she loved him so. As he approached, the intensity of his gaze was such that throbbing waves of desire coursed afresh through her body, straight down to her core. It was a wonder that she was still managing to stand upright by the time he reached her. A mischievous glint in his eye, he took hold of the end of the sheet she wore and playfully tugged her towards him for a kiss; a kiss so dizzyingly wonderful and full of promise of what was to follow, it made her head swim.

Definitely not so shy anymore, she thought with a smirk as she curled her fingers around his and led him into the bathroom.

Their marriage ceremony had been an extremely quiet affair. Neither wanted a fuss, willing to forgo the whole "big white wedding" circus (much to her mother's disappointment!), wishing to save any finances for a new home together – provided they managed to find a buyer for Martha's flat, of course.

However, the couple had agreed they ought to still have a honeymoon in order to spend some quality alone time together, and so at James' suggestion, they settled on a pretty Devonshire village by the sea. The charming little cottage in which they were currently staying was nestled on the side of a hill, rewarding them with a wonderful view of the harbour and glittering waves. During the past week, they had been exploring the village's picturesque cobbled streets and hidden coves by day...and returned to the cottage to explore one another by night.

After their shower, James ventured out to the terrace armed with two glasses and a bowl of strawberries to find Martha scribbling away in a notebook balanced on her knee. He observed her keenly for a moment, a little smile creeping onto his face as she sat there bathed in evening sunshine, her brow furrowed and biting at her lip in an expression of absolute concentration. After pouring them both a glass of wine, he leaned down to kiss the back of her head. She made no movement except to smile at the feeling of his lips against her damp hair.

"What's that for?" she asked softly without looking up from her book.

"I'm just happy to see your inspiration to write has returned to you, that's all," he told her, leaning his arms against the back of her chair, "How's it coming, anyway?"

"Brilliantly – at least, at the moment," she said happily as she finished scribbling a note with a flourish and dropping her pen, "It's this place," she added with a contented sigh as she leaned back against him, gazing dreamily out across the calm water, "It really gets the creative juices flowing... I could easily get used to a view like this, you know."

James took in a deep breath of the warm salty air and hummed his agreement which Martha could feel rumble through his chest. "It's really not bad, is it? Not bad at all..."

"This was a brilliant idea of yours. How did you come to know about it, anyway?" she enquired as she reached over to help herself to a strawberry.

"My sisters and I came here for holidays when we were children," James explained, also helping himself to some of the delicious fruit, "and by the looks of things, hardly anything about it has changed at all."

Indeed, he was right; this idyllic Devon village seemed to be suspended in some sort of time loop. Little of it had changed since James' memory of it. The evening air was warm but the slight breeze was enough for it not to be stifling. By day, the water was a glorious shade of turquoise and so wonderfully clear, one could almost be fooled into believing they were somewhere in the tropics. Now the light was fading into pale dusky lavender, the sky changing from pale pinks to purples to forget-me-not blues before their eyes. As if to mirror the ever-shifting sky, the pink and blue blooms of hydrangeas in the garden appeared to be glowing like lanterns in this sultry atmosphere.

James reclined back in his seat, basking in the evening sun, feeling wonderfully serene as he watched a flock of sea birds above them glide in the air currents seemingly for the pure fun of it. This certainly made a welcome change from that shabby council estate back at Taunton. From one of the neighbouring white-washed cottages, drifting through an open window, the smooth voice of Ella Fitzgerald could be heard singing about the foolish things which reminded her of her love. This little haven seemed to be in its own relaxed bubble of serenity, untouched and undisturbed by the chaotic hustle-and-bustle of the rest of the world.

Martha turned to look at James, smiling to see him in this relaxed state.

"I've got a surprise for you," she said suddenly with the impromptu decision to finally reveal what she had been simply dying with excitement all week to tell him.

"Oh, dear," was the dry reply from her husband, his eyes still fixed on the circling birds.

"Why "oh, dear"?" Martha asked with a little laugh.

He looked back at her, amusement crossing his features.

"You know how I feel about surprises," he told her, "The last time you said you had a surprise for me, it was to take me to see that so-called concert – " He pulled a face of slight disgust, " - and I use the term lightly here – "

"Hey, that was a great band!" she objected.

"It was a racket!"

Martha rolled her eyes good naturedly and shook her head.

"It wasn't that bad," she muttered.

"I think we're just going to have to agree to disagree when it comes to your taste in music," James conceded.

Martha glanced furtively at him. "Okay, fair enough... Dinosaur," she added teasingly.

James bent down to nuzzle his nose against her temple, before migrating his way down towards the sensitive spot below her earlobe.

"You didn't think me a dinosaur before, judging by your reactions earlier in the shower..." he murmured, his voice gravelly against her ear, which sent wonderful shivers dancing down Martha's spine.

A blush crept across her cheeks but she was filled with the sudden desire of finishing what they started in the shower. No, that had to wait...

"Hey, stop that and let me focus for a minute," she mock chided him, poking a finger into his chest and leaning back again as if to ward off temptation, "As I was saying before you so rudely interrupted, I have a surprise for you and something tells me you're definitely going to like it. No rock gigs, I promise you!" she added at his slightly suspicious expression.

James waited for her to elaborate and when she did not, he raised his eyebrows and asked jokingly, "Well? Don't keep me in suspense, woman! Aren't you going to give me any clues at all?"

"Nope!" Martha trilled brightly, "You'll have to wait and see until tomorrow."

James groaned and feigned a look of disappointment before he smiled again.

"Until tomorrow it is, then," he relented.

"Can you at least tell me where it is we're going?" James asked in a hopeful tone for the umpteenth time that following morning.

"If I tell you, that kind of defeats the purpose of what a surprise is," Martha told him amusedly from the driver's seat beside him.

She peered through the windscreen, carefully navigating the Volvo they had hired for their honeymoon through the twisting labyrinth of narrow hedged lanes which snaked the Devon countryside.

"Can't blame a chap for trying," James sighed, gazing back out of the open window. It was yet another glorious summer's morning; bright, warm and golden, and he was thoroughly enjoying watching hill after rolling hillside slide past, the valleys around them green and lush. He much preferred these quieter winding roads to the horrendously busy motorway they had left behind earlier.

Martha slid a glance in her husband's direction and couldn't help grinning at his almost child-like eagerness to know what this surprise for him would entail. He was dressed in a casual cotton shirt and dark brown jacket and dark jeans. Maybe it was because she knew him to be a gentleman not born of this era but Martha always thought there was such a manner about him that he was able to carry off this modern casual attire as elegantly as if he were wearing a tailored suit.

"Good things come to those who wait, dearest Jimbo," she only answered in a slightly singsong voice, "You of all people should know that!"

However, James did not have very long to wait after all. Ten minutes later, Martha brought the hire car to a slow crawl as she scanned the nearby hedgerows, apparently searching for something. Suddenly, she let out a noise of triumph and pulled through a wide gap in the hedge, and the vehicle bumped across a cattle grid. James craned his neck and found they had arrived at a smallholding; he could see a red-bricked farmhouse-style cottage, several stone outbuildings and a yard scattered with pecking chickens. Martha brought the car to a halt and the moment the engine had died, all that could be heard was the sweet twittering of birds and an occasional distant bleating baa of sheep from a neighbouring field.

Martha opened the door and hopped out, James all the while gazing curiously about as he followed suit. A man clad in oil-splattered blue overalls and muddy wellingtons had been bent over the engine of a tractor, but he looked up from his task as he noticed the newlyweds approach.

"Hey, there...would you be Antony?" Martha enquired as they neared him.

"Just plain Tony's good enough for me," the man answered cheerfully as he wiped his hands free from oil on a rag, "How can I help you?"

"We spoke on the phone the other day. I'm Martha Burt – I mean, Nicholls," she corrected herself quickly, flashing a smile in James' direction, "and this is my husband, Jim..."

James could not help but notice the hint of pride in her voice when she spoke the words "my husband" and felt his heart swell. Meanwhile, Tony cleaned his hand as best he could before reaching out to shake theirs in greeting as they were introduced and his eyes lit up with realisation at Martha's words.

"Ahhh, yeah, that's right...you must be here about the Duchess, right? Well, if you'd just like to follow me, I'll introduce you to the lady in question..."

James, not certain what it was the two were alluding to, looked curiously between them with furrowed brows. Martha laced her fingers through his as they began to follow the other man at a distance.

"The Duchess?" James asked quietly as they walked, looking questioningly at her but Martha only responded with a mysterious smile.

"You'll see," she said simply.

The three of them had not ventured far, just past some old stone outbuildings and a row of stables, when Tony brought them to the edge of a grassy paddock which seemed apparently empty at first glance. Tony plucked up a bucket of some unknown substance hung upon the nearby fence and gave it a shake, before letting out a piercingly shrill whistle through his teeth.

At first, nothing happened. But then James heard a distinct rumbling thunder of hooves and shaded his eyes with a hand as he stared across the vista of rolling green fields. The paddock had not been empty after all. From the furthest corner, half-hidden in the shade of an enormous oak, a pair of horses came trotting towards the fence, attracted no doubt by Tony's whistling call. One was a velvety black, the other, a red bay. James felt a jolt somewhere in the region of his midriff as, seeing the pair approach more slowly, they reminded him instantly of Joey and his old friend, Jamie's steed, the magnificent Topthorn.

"Come on, gal," Tony gently called out to the red, clicking his tongue to further coax her, "Come on, come say hello then..."

The horse hesitated, flicking her ears around as though considering the situation and finally stepped closer to the fence.

"Here she is..." Tony announced proudly, "This is Duchess..."

James tried to notice everything about her at one sweeping glance: the marvellous head and whole shape of her; the way her flanks shimmered, her russet coat gleaming in the morning sunshine. He saw the strength in her body and quiver of shapely muscles; the elegance of her slender legs which were jet black blending into four white socks. As Duchess turned her soft brown gaze upon them, he noticed a white star emblazoned on her forehead; her thick mane was the colour of ebony and looked as if it were made of the lightest silk. James thought she was one of the most beautiful creatures he had ever laid eyes on. Martha immediately saw the exuberant gleam in his eyes as he gazed at the horse with something close to reverence.

"Hello there, Duchess..." he murmured, reaching out to stroke the long slope of the mare's face, "A fitting name for you indeed, bonny girl..."

"What d'you think? She's a beaut', isn't she?" Tony said appreciatively, leaning upon the fence.

"She's magnificent," James replied in agreement with a broad smile upon his face, now running a hand down the horse's sleek, powerful neck.

Duchess nickered softly at him as though she were agreeing with him, leaning forward to rub her velvety muzzle along his arm.

"Should I leave you two alone together?" Martha teased, a grin spreading across her own face.

James gave a laugh and looked into Duchess' soft features. She gazed back at him steadily. It was as if the pair of them understood one another perfectly. "She's a very fine lady, to be sure," he said, continuing to stroke the mare's silken mane.

"Glad you approve," Martha replied, "because she's yours if you want her."

James did not register fully what she said at first. He whipped his head around to stare at Martha, completely astounded. Had he just heard correctly?

"She's – she's mine? he asked quickly, eyes widening, "Are you being serious?" he breathed.

"Perfectly," she said quietly.

As if he were checking for possible skulduggery, James swivelled back to look first at Tony, who was watching this exchange with a crooked smile, then to Duchess before turning back bemusedly to Martha, his heart thudding.

"But surely not... How can we - ? I don't know what to say - "

But Tony interrupted his shocked ramblings, "You wanna to have a ride on her first, see how you two get on?" he asked him, "I can have her saddled up for you in a jiffy!"

Before James even had time to object, the other man departed to the nearby stable block. The former soldier looked at his wife, his expression torn somewhere between astonishment and confusion.

"Please don't think me ungrateful, my love, but how can we aff - ?"

"Well...I might have sold my bike..." confessed Martha, which came out sounding more like a question than a statement of fact.

James' blue eyes widened further in shock. "You did what?" he demanded.

"And Dad might have helped a bit as well," she continued, "A friend of his is really into horses and for the last few weeks, he's been helping us look around for one and he put me in touch with Tony... You like her, don't you?" she added knowingly.

James looked back at Duchess, his eyes full of longing. Could it really be true? Was she really his? How wonderful it would be to be the proud owner of such a glorious animal... However, he shook his head as though in a daze and murmured quietly, "It's not a question of whether I like her or not, it's just..." He gave a wistful sigh, "I can't accept this. Your father has done more than enough for me already."

Martha had had a feeling that he would react somewhere along these lines but she was well prepared for it and she was not willing to take no for an answer.

"You can and you will," she told him firmly, "Consider it a wedding present! Tony told me he's more than happy to keep Duchess here for as long as we need him to, until we can find a place of our own..."

"But you..." James was almost incoherent of speech, he was completely stunned by this incredible gift, "But you love that motorbike..." he said finally.

Martha shrugged her shoulders.

"It's just a machine," she assured him, "and besides, it went to a good home..." At James' mixed expression of loving exasperation and seeing he was about to protest further, she laid a hand on his arm gently, "No, listen..." Then, after a careful glance in Tony's direction to make sure that his attention was focused solely on bridling Duchess, she continued quietly, "If what's happened in the last year or so has taught me anything at all is that nothing is infallible and you should focus on what's really important. You are far more important to me than a set of wheels. You've had to adjust so much to my modern lifestyle, have made such great efforts to fit in... I know I don't say this very often but I am proud of you; it's not been easy for you and you've coped brilliantly... But that doesn't mean you should lose sight of who you are. I just...I just want you to be happy, that's all."

James knew by her tone of voice that part of her was still concerned over any misgivings he had. To lay her mind to rest, he took her hands in his, pulling them to his lips to press a kiss to her knuckles. A sudden glint of silver caught his eye in the sunlight and he smiled at the sight of the wedding band adorning her left hand, and he ran the pad of his thumb affectionately over the cool metal.

"And I am happy, my darling... But I acknowledge that I have indeed found it much harder to adapt to this life than I anticipated," he admitted, "but I meant what I said that day I came back to you and I meant it on our wedding day: if it means being with you, I do not regret even one second of it..."

Appeased, Martha asked jokingly, "Even though my taste in music is apparently terrible?"

"Yes," he laughed, "even that."

The twenty-first century, James found, was a different sort of battle to be conquered. Neither he nor his wife could predict what the future would have in store for the pair of them. They both knew that it was not always going to be easy, that they would have their fair share of hardships and trials hand in hand with the happier times along the way. However, James Nicholls was more than certain of one thing: with Martha by his side, after all they had both endured, they could weather any storm that life threw at them.

Leaning his forehead against hers, he whispered, "I love you."

"Well, that's handy," she answered smilingly, "because I love you too." She then gave him a playful little push, "Now get over there and get on that horse," she encouraged, nodding in Duchess' direction, "I know you're dying to try her out, I can see it in your eyes."

James hesitated at first. After all, it had been a very long time since he had last mounted a horse. However, a few minutes later, once he clambered up onto Duchess' strong and capable back and settled himself in the saddle, the uncertainty vanished in an instant. The memory of those long years of loneliness and despair seemed to fall away as if nothing had happened, nothing more than a distant bad dream. This was where he felt most at home. Martha, watching him keenly, immediately thought how much he looked completely at his ease as though no time had passed at all.

"You see?" she called as he walked Duchess past the fence, as if proving a point, "You belong on that horse. You look so well together."

"You know who she reminds me of?" James said as he paused beside her.

"Joey?" Martha guessed with a nod, "Exactly. That's how Dad and I knew somehow that she was the one."

From his higher vantage point, James shifted his body and leaned down to kiss her, cradling the side of her face with one hand and Martha raised herself up on tiptoes so he could reach her.

"Thank you..." he whispered, and in those two simple words alone, she knew instinctively that he was referring to so much more than this gift for him.

James flashed her one last smile before steering Duchess around and breaking her into a trot and gradually, as his confidence in the horse grew, into a canter. Martha leaned up against the fence as she watched their progress, her heart simply brimming with pride and joy to see her new husband ride expertly across the field for the first time in so long, the golden morning sun shining upon horse and rider who looked as though they were moving ceaselessly as one being.

Who would ever have imagined that all of this had started with something as simple and unassuming as an old pocket watch?

Fin

.:*:.

Aaaand that's all, folks! I hope you liked it.

I have my own version in my head of what happens to them after this story but I'll leave it to your own imaginations, dear readers, to make up your own mind what the future may hold for Jim and Martha :)

I've got really mixed emotions about finishing this story. You should know that not only is this the first fanfic I've felt brave enough to share, it's also the first one I've ever finished entirely...YAY! Usually I lose interest or motivation. Okay, that might not sound like such a big deal to some but for me, it's an achievement and I feel proud about that!

But I'm not going to lie, I feel really sad too because I'm going to miss writing this story A LOT. This might sound very silly but working on this has been like a coping mechanism for me over the last couple of years to help me through some tough times and I've become very attached to writing about the adventures of Captain Nicholls and Martha. Honestly I could write about them forever! I know looking back on it there are a few sticky parts that I'd like to change and improve upon, but for now I'll leave it as it is.

I might at some point do a little companion piece because there were a couple of scenes I wrote which never made it into the main story. Maybe...if anyone's interested?

Other than that, I don't have any plans to post any other fanfics. I've got ideas forever bouncing about in this weird little brain of mine but I sadly don't have a lot of time spare to write these days. But who knows? That might change.

Huge, huge thank you's to everyone who has read, followed, favourited and reviewed. I'm enormously grateful to you all. To be honest, I was so nervous about posting this story, thinking nobody would like it. But GREAT BIG THANK YOU TO YOU ALL! Your words of encouragement along the way have helped me a lot and I love you for it! *blows kisses*

And so, in the words of Bilbo Baggins: This is the end. I am going now and I bid you all a very fond farewell.