I – Prom Night
He was nervous. His palms are sweating, his lung's dry. He had watched her all night dancing with Jake, holding his hands, giggling. It shouldn't bother him, they're best friends, but it does. He and she are an item for three years, three years. Still, he senses something must be going on between them. Something more than friendship. He isn't blind when it comes to Jakes gazes at his girlfriend. Abby, however, never looked at Jake any other way than before… or it's just his wishful thinking.
Feeling the ring in his breast pocket, he sighs and looks on the ground. He has no idea what he should do. He's clueless. Utterly clueless.
Lifting his eyes, he notices how close they're now dancing. Too close for his liking. They're not dancing like friends, they're dancing like lovers.
He takes a few steps forward, before he stops. Jake tildes his head down, his lips getting closer and closer to hers. He should interfere, but he doesn't. He wants to see Abby's reaction, and if she kisses him back.
He sees a flicker of emotion over her face and he recognizes it immediately. She looks at him like that whenever he catches her gazing at him. He would smile if the situation wasn't too fucked up.
Then their lips touch and he feels his heart break into millions of pieces. He never felt this way, and that how he knows it's real. Too real.
Abby finds him later outside starring at Earth. She must know that he saw what she has done, otherwise why would she be here?
"I'm sorry." Her voice is barely above a whisper. He doesn't look at her. He feels betrayed, used, fucked over in every possible way.
When he speaks for the first time in over five minutes, his voice is cracking. "Why?"
She doesn't answer. He turns his head and sees the tears in her eyes.
"Why didn't you tell me, Abby?"
"I couldn't. I didn't know how…"
They're both crying. He holds his hand up and caresses her cheek, before he kisses her lips one last time. She clings onto him, her hands behind his neck, pulling him closer.
"Goodbye, Abby."
He gently pushes her away and walks away, not once looking back, the ring in his pocket forgotten.
II – Her wedding day
Unsure if he should enter or not, he stands before the door that's separating him and the bride-to-be. He doesn't even know why he's here. Maybe because she asked him to give her away since her father had died years ago.
He takes a deep breath and enters the room and stops the second he sees her in her wedding gown. She never looked so beautiful and at peace.
Her hair lies in curls over her back, her shoulders bare, and a confident smile on her face. At first she doesn't notice him because she's too engrossed in her dress, but then she lifts her eyes and her light chocolate ones lock with his dark browns.
"Hey."
Her voice is soft and he catches the sad tone she desperately tries to hide whenever he's around.
"You look beautiful."
Abby blushes and looks down, her fingers nervously intertwined. "I—I thought you wouldn't come."
He chuckles at her adorableness. "I wasn't sure myself." He steps closer and takes her hands in his, wishing she was about to marry him. Maybe she would, if he had asked her two years ago, before she got the chance to kiss the man she's about to marry and the reason they broke up. Or the reason he broke up with her. He isn't sure about it himself.
They gaze into each other's eyes for god knows how long. He catches a strand of her hair that has fallen in her face and gently tucks it behind her ear, his fingers softly brushing against her skin, sending sparks through his body, and hers. Her eyes are closed and she leans into his touch.
Before either know what's happening, their lips touch. Her hands in his hair, his on her waist pulling her as close as humanly possible. A moan escapes both of their lips and he depends the kiss. He moved one hand to her hair, gently cupping her skull, the other remaining on her waist.
"Abby" he rasps, leaning his forehead against hers, taking a few steading breaths. Marry me. He doesn't say it. "Let's go."
She steps out of his arms and fixes her hair.
"Let's go."
He takes her hand and leads her towards the church where she's about to marry Jake instead of him.
III – Clarke
The moment he sees her in the hospital bed with a little bundle in her arms, his heart swells with love and pride. She never looked more beautiful to him than in this moment. A tiny hand has her index finger in a tight grip and a warm smile graces her beautiful face. He doesn't say anything when he takes a seat beside her on the bed, his hand runs protectively over her daughters head. Her eyes flutter open and his sight is graced with the most beautiful blue eyes he has ever seen. Then she smiles at him and knows he will love her daughter as if she were his.
"Clarke." Her voice breaks the silence. "Her name is Clarke."
"Hello, Clarke." He smiles at her and then kisses the babies forehead. "You are going to be as beautiful as your mom one day, kiddo. Mark my words, I'll have to scare all the pretty boys away."
Clarke giggles and claps her hands together, before she slumbers into a peaceful sleep in her mother's arms.
Abby lays her head on his shoulder, her smile getting bigger minute by minute.
He doesn't dare to ask where Jake is, probably fixing some damages of the ark.
"Abby", he whispers, in fear to wake Clarke. Marry me. "How are you?"
"Exhausted. All I want to do it sleep, but Jake isn't back yet."
He lays his head on hers, unsure how to say his next words. He notices how her eyes are closed and without thinking he takes her daughter out of her arms and positions Abby on the bed so she can sleep.
"Keep her safe till Jake comes back?"
He brushes her hair out of her face and kisses her temple. "Of course, Abby. Sleep."
So she does.
Thirty minutes later Jake appears beside him. He smiles at the new-born father before he hands Clarke over.
"Congratulations, Jake."
Jake only nods, not daring to meet his eyes and takes his rightful place beside the sleeping form of his wife.
He looks back at the little family before he walks out of the Hospital to watch the moon rise.
IIII – Bringing the Ark to the Ground
She sits beside him, her eyes showing nothing but fear.
"Salvation", he intertwines their fingers. "Comes with a price."
He's about to stand up, but her grip on his fingers intensifies, pulling him back. He takes one last look at her, before he pulls his fingers out of her grasp and stands up.
Two seconds later her hand is in his again, giving it one comforting squeeze. Their eyes meet and she looks at him like she used to all those years ago.
He knows what he wants say, but he doesn't. Instead he walks away from her to his death.
Then suddenly the Ark shakes. His hands are against the stations wall, keeping him from falling over.
"We've launched!" He hears Sinclair exclaim moments later.
"How?"
"Godspeed my friend." Thelonious voice comes out of the speakers. "Godspeed."
He slowly makes his way back to his place beside Abby and she takes his hand in hers the second he sits.
"Marcus", her voice is just a whisper, cracking with fear, love and heartbreak. "I'm scared."
He takes her in his arms and kisses her hairline. "Me too, Abby. Me too."
Their fingers intertwined, he finally gets the courage to ask her the one question he intended to ask three times over the past twenty-two years.
"Marry me, Abby."
She looks at him surprised, before a big smile appears on her face. Her hand on his cheek, she pulls him closer and before their lips touch for the first time after twenty years, she give him the answer he desperately hoped for.
"Yes."