Vanished... Without a Trace 24/24
This is a moden day, Young Riders/Without a Trace crossover written by me andshantyrfan. All of your favorite characters (and a few not so favorite) are here, and alive and well. The non familiar characters don't belong to us (with the exception of the resort staff and the name of Tag's youngest daughter), they belong to the creators of Without a Trace. For those that aren't familiar with this story, it was inspired by this clip Kid and the Breakfast of Champions
Chapter 24
A Lou woke on Mother’s Day smiling. In the past, she had always dreaded the day. Even after her mother had died, the twins still celebrated it since Lou was their second mom, but for the first time since the twins were born, she hoped they would finally be able to spend it as a real family.
She hadn’t planned anything special; she wanted to see if the twins were truly ready to accept her as their mother. She knew Teresa was thrilled, and ever since the incident in the hallway with her and Tag, Jeremiah was coming around as well. Her heart had never felt so good as when she had heard Jeremiah call her mom, even if it came out in an embarrassing way.
“Lou?” Teresa asked knocking on her bedroom door and peaking her head around. “Can we come in?”
“Of course,” Lou said sitting up and making room on the bed. “What’s up?”
“Happy Mother’s Day!” Teresa and Jeremiah chimed simultaneously as they crawled in bed next to her and hugged her.
“You don’t know how good it feels to hear you two say that.” Lou smiled, relishing how good it indeed felt.
“I just wish we’d known sooner,” Jeremiah said pulling away. “We wasted so many years not knowing the truth.”
Lou nodded.
“Did you have any plans for today?” Teresa asked. Lou shook her head.
“Good,” Jeremiah said with a smile that made Lou suspicious. “We hope you don’t mind but since you hadn’t mentioned anything, we made plans without telling you.”
“Oh,” Lou said disappointed. They don’t want to spend the day with me, she thought sadly.
“So get up, get dressed and be ready to go in an hour,” Jeremiah said getting off the bed. “We have reservations for brunch at noon.”
Teresa chuckled as she saw the look on Lou’s face. “You didn’t think we wouldn’t want to spend the day with you, did you?”
Lou shrugged. “I know this past month hasn’t been easy for any of us, I didn’t want to force anything on you.”
“Well, get ready,” Jeremiah grinned. “We promise you, this will be a Mother’s Day you’ll never forget.”
Lou smiled. “It already has been.”
~~ *~* ~~
An hour and a half later, Lou was amazed as they waited for their table at Tavern on the Green. They were sitting outside enjoying the nice day while they waited for their name to be called. The twins knew it was her favorite restaurant, one she longed to bring Tag to some day.
“McCloud, party of six,” came a voice over the Public Address system. “McCloud, party of six your table is now ready.”
“That’s us,” Teresa said, grabbing Lou’s hand and leading her inside.
“It can’t be Teresa. There’s only three of us, that was for six.”
“Sorry we’re late,” Tag called out as he came up behind Lou.
Lou smiled and turned to see Tag and the girls. “Hey,” she said kissing him on the cheek.
“I forgot how long it took for two little girls to get ready. Hope we’re not too late.”
Lou shook her head. “They just called our table,” she said smiling and took his hand while the girls ran to catch up with the twins. “I didn’t know you were coming. I would’ve dressed up more.”
“You look beautiful to me, no matter what you wear. I hope you don’t mind the intrusion, Jeremiah and Teresa invited us.”
Lou shook her head. “I don’t mind at all, but what about the girls? Wouldn’t they rather do something remembering Naomi?”
“We went to visit her grave earlier. They talked to her for a little while and left flowers, but they really wanted to be here.” Tag looked at her and smiled. “And so did I.”
“I’m glad you’re here,” she said as they reached their table. Lou smiled as Tag held out her chair and then pushed it back in when she sat down. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. And not as glad as we are to be here.”
Lou smiled shyly as he sat down next to her and took her hand. The meal was wonderful, and Lou felt happier than she had in a long time. When they finished the meal, everyone went outside and decided to go for a walk.
“Awful pretty out, ain't it?” Lou asked as she and Tag walked behind the children, arm in arm.
“Yeah, you are... I mean, it is,” Tag said blushing.
“That was one of the best meals I ever had.”
“Uh huh,” he replied, lost in his own world.
“Tag, why don't you just come out and say whatever's been on your mind?” she asked stopping and looking at him.
“It's that obvious, huh?”
Lou smiled. “More.”
Emma chose that moment to run back to them and pulled on Lou’s skirt. “Miss Lou,” she said smiling up. “Are you gonna be our new mommy?” she asked with childlike innocence.
“Emma Jean!” Tag said sharper than he intended. His heart broke as he watched his youngest daughter’s bottom lip start to quiver. He knelt down beside her. “I’m sorry, honey, I didn’t mean to yell at you.”
“I’m sorry, daddy,” she said crestfallen.
“I know you are baby,” he said pulling her into his arms. “Remember what we talked about last night?” Emma nodded. “Soon, sweetie, soon.”
Teresa joined them and took Emma’s hand. “Come on, Emma. Let’s take you over to the playground so they can talk in private,” she said winking at Tag.
“Thanks, Teresa,” he replied as he watched the two run off to catch up with the others.
“Tag?” Lou asked, looking at him strangely as he stood back up. “What’s going on?”
Tag indicated to the horse drawn carriages that were circling the park. “Let’s take a ride,” he said taking her hand.
“What about your girls? Will they be alright?”
Tag nodded. “I’m more worried about Teresa and Jeremiah taking care of them,” he said smiling. “They’ll be fine.”
Lou nodded and when it was their turn, he held her hand as he helped her up and put his arm around her shoulder and the blanket on their laps.
“This is nice,” Lou said as she rested her head on his shoulder. “Thanks for coming today.”
Tag nodded. “Lou, I have to admit there’s a reason why I came today.”
Lou heard something in his voice and lifted her head to look at him. “What?” she asked confused. “What do you mean?”
“I’ll tell you as soon as you promise not to interrupt me again,” he said grinning.
Lou looked at him puzzled. “For how long?”
“Just as long as I gotta say what I gotta say.”
Realizing this was the moment she’d waited for since he first brought up the subject on their honeymoon, she smiled. “This ain't gonna be one of your practiced speeches, is it?”
“I know this probably isn’t the most romantic way to do this, but…” Tag got down on one knee on the floor of the carriage, reached into his pocket for a small velvet box and then took her hand. “Louise McCloud, will you ... Marry …”
Lou didn’t let him finish and began kissing him passionately. The carriage passed the playground where the four children were playing and Jeremiah saw them.
“Guess that means yes,” he said smiling.
Teresa looked towards the direction of the carriage and nodded. “Guess so.”
Lou finally broke the kiss and could tell Tag was still waiting for a verbal answer. “Yes!” she yelled; wanting to shout it from every rooftop in the city.
Tag opened the box and removed the ring, placing it on her finger. Lou looked at it and then at him slightly puzzled. “Four stones?”
Tag’s heart fell as he realized she’d probably prefer diamonds. “You don’t recognize two of the stones?”
Lou nodded. “They’re Alexandrite. Jeremiah and Teresa’s birthstone,” realization dawned on her. “The other two are the girls’ birthstones, aren’t they?”
Tag nodded. “If you’d rather have a diamond…”
Lou shook her head. “Never,” she said starting to cry. “It’s the most beautiful ring in the world.”
“I asked the twins when they were born, since you actually never said,” he said smiling.
“June twenty-fifth, nineteen ninety two, at four fifteen in the morning,” she said quickly sounding a bit boastful. “Up until today, it was the best day of my life.”
Tag nodded. “Lou, there’s something else I wanted to talk to you about. Actually a couple of things, but this is important.”
“What is it?”
“When I asked you to marry me, I meant I want to join our two families; make them one. I would like to adopt Jeremiah and Teresa.”
Lou shrugged. “You don’t have to do that, Tag. They’re getting too old for that kind of thing, and I’m not sure how they would feel about it.”
“They love the idea.”
“You’ve already talked to them about it?” Lou looked at him in disbelief.
“Well, to Jeremiah, and he talked to Teresa about it. That day Jeremiah came to see me, he said some things that made me think. One was how he was scared he would be like his father, the other was that he’d never really had a father figure in his life. Lou, I want to become that father figure as well as their father. I want them to forget Wicks ever existed.”
“I don’t know if they could ever do that,” she said sadly. “I know as much as I wish I could, I can’t.”
“It’s up to you, Lou. If you’d rather I didn’t…”
Lou shook her head. “I think it’s a wonderful idea,” she said, interrupting him.
“You promised you wouldn’t interrupt me again,” he grinned.
“I’m sorry,” she said biting her lip.
The carriage came to a stop and Tag helped Lou down. The four children came running towards them. “Well?” They all asked excitedly.
“Emma,” Lou said, kneeling down. “What did you ask me earlier?”
Emma looked at Tag and he nodded. “I was wondering if you were gonna be our new mommy?”
“Would you like that?” Lou asked. Both of Tag’s girls nodded. “Well then,” she said smiling. “How could I resist a proposal like that?”
Everyone chuckled and grew excited as they walked back to the restaurant where their cars were parked.
“I love you, Tag,” Lou said as they reached her car.
“Not as much as I love you,” he said right before he kissed her with a kiss that promised his love to her forever.
~~ *~* ~~
Lou and Tag decided after everything that had happened, a long engagement was best. She was worried about giving the girls enough time to grieve for their mother, and Tag thought it would be good to give them a chance to blend the families together, even though the kids all got along better than either could have imagined.
Several months after their engagement, Tag sold his house, Lou rented out her apartment, and all six, soon to be family members, moved into a large house with six bedrooms and enough acreage for several horses. Tag had even managed to purchase the two horses they had ridden while on the assignment to start the family off.
Since both Teresa and Jeremiah were now sixteen and since both were dating, Tag and Lou wanted to set a good example so they slept in separate bedrooms in opposite sides of the house. But that didn't stop them from occasionally sneaking into the other's room when the kids were asleep.
Tag and Lou had also decided that they both did want more children, but Tag had wanted to wait until his girls were a little older. Although two months before the wedding, Lou realized he'd changed his mind and secretly had his vasectomy reversed. She laughed as he walked around the house a little more gingerly than usual, and had stopped sneaking into her room at night and then tried blaming it on getting hurt while working on a case. Lou was thrilled and couldn't wait until he told her he was ready. She hoped it would be soon.
A week before the wedding, Lou felt a pang of jealousy as Tag's adoption of the twins became finalized. She was thrilled for them, but wished she had been able to take his name first. But even though patience was never one of her best virtues, she knew the day was coming.
The morning of the wedding, Lou woke up smiling. Tag and his best man, Jeremiah had spent the night at Jimmy's, and Lou could only imagine the trouble they all got into at the bachelor party. The wedding was going to be a small affair with just their friends at the house, but with the excitement of the girls, people would think there were going to be thousands of people there.
"Mommy Lou! Mommy Lou!" Emma yelled as she charged right into Lou's room and bounced up and down on the bed. "Today's your special day!"
Lou couldn't help but laugh at Emma's appearance. She was wearing her slip, a sock on one foot, and just her shoe on her other. Her hair was halfway finished, and it looked like she had put on the lipstick herself.
"It is, honey," Lou said, grabbing the young girl by the legs and pulling her down. Emma broke into a fit of giggles.
"I'm sorry, Lou," Teresa said entering the room with Charlotte behind her.
"We were trying to get her ready," Charlotte added. "When she heard noise coming from in here, she took off before we could stop her."
Lou nodded. "It’s okay, guess we're all just a little excited. But Emma, honey, if you don't calm down, by the time the wedding happens, you'll be too tired to be the flower girl and enjoy it. Will you go with your big sisters and let them help you finish getting ready?"
Emma nodded and Charlotte led her out of the room leaving Teresa and Lou alone.
"Nervous?" Teresa asked.
Lou nodded. "A little. Just thinking about today, and next Saturday and the Saturday ten years from now."
"Lou, there's nothing to be scared of," Teresa said hoping to calm her mother's fears.
"Oh, I was thinking about Tag. Maybe he's scared."
"Getting married to you is the most important thing he has ever done."
"How do you know?"
"He told me."
"He did?"
Teresa nodded. "He said there was only one thing in the world that can keep him from marrying you today."
"What's that?"
"Nothin'..."
Lou chuckled and then threw her pillow at Teresa. "What would I do without you?" Lou asked as Teresa brought the pillow back and sat down on the bed next to her.
"Be out of a maid of honor and be late for your own wedding. Do you need some help getting ready?"
Lou shook her head. "I think I can manage, thanks though."
"Do you think it's a wise idea to wear that dress? Tag's already seen you in it, and isn't that bad luck?"
Lou shook her head. "He's hinted around at it since we got engaged, and I really want to wear it."
Teresa nodded in understanding. “But it’s white?” Teresa said grinning. “Should a mother of two teenagers wear white?”
“Teresa Marie,” Lou said in a warning but teasing tone.
“And it’s not like the two of you haven’t been sneaking into each other’s rooms at…”
“Teresa, that’s enough.” Lou said trying to keep a straight face.
"Well I guess I better help get Emma ready and then get ready myself. Mom?"
"Yes, Tessie Bear."
"I love you,"
"I love you, too."
Teresa left and Lou got out of bed. She went to her closet and removed the dress she had worn on the first day of their assignment. She smiled as she thought of Tag’s reaction when he first saw her in the dress. At the time, she never imagined she would one day wear it for real, now, she could hardly remember the time before he was in her life.
~~ *~* ~~
Jimmy chuckled as he walked by the bathroom and heard Tag cursing for the fifth time. He knocked on the door and entered when it opened.
“Having second thoughts?” Jimmy asked noticing how stressed his friend was.
Tag shook his head. “How is it that I can braid two little girls’ hair, but I can’t get this damn tie straight?”
Jimmy laughed. “Because Charlotte and Emma don’t squirm around as much. Want me to help?”
Tag nodded. “If you don’t mind,” Tag said embarrassed.
Jimmy shook his head. “Not at all,” Jimmy said as he fixed Tag’s tie. “There you go.”
“Thanks, Jimmy.”
“Nervous?”
Tag nodded. “I wasn’t even this nervous the day I married Naomi.”
“That’s because you weren’t in love with Naomi,” Jimmy said. He held up a hand when he saw Tag start to protest. “Okay, you were, but it wasn’t true love. Not like what you’ve found with Lou,” he explained.
“Guess I never thought of it that way,” Tag said. “Thanks, Jimmy.”
“There’s something else I wanted to tell you,” Jimmy said.
“What is it?”
“About what happened with Naomi. I‘ve always regretted what I did that night and…”
“Don’t worry about it, Jimmy.” Tag interrupted
“It was wrong of me, and if I could go back and change things, I would. I hope one day you can forgive me.”
Tag nodded. “I wouldn’t have asked you to stand up with me and Jeremiah if I hadn’t already, Jimmy.”
“Well at least you know I didn’t sleep with Lou,” Jimmy said trying to lighten the mood. “But not for lack of trying.”
“Shut up, Jimmy,” Tag teased.
“Come on,” Jimmy said. “Let’s get you married.”
An hour later Tag stood on the back porch and his jaw dropped at the sight of Lou walking towards him, wearing the wedding dress he’d dreamt about seeing her in again, but this time their wedding was real. He realized then, just how different this would be this time. Lou wasn’t just the woman he loved, she was his soul mate. Jimmy had been right, he had finally found true love.