Fourth Vector Ch. 50

Like the rest of his people, Michael was hopeful for the future. Though he ruled over a lot less territory than his predecessors, Michael was of the belief that it was better for everyone to let the Tyroleans (and possibly the Thessalians) go their own way. Javans alone would scout out their own destiny, and they would forge their own national path that had a Javan face to it.

If there was one thing that he was unhappy about, it was the situation with Sarah. Nothing between them had changed in the past two weeks. She was still sleeping in his bed every night and during the day, she was maintaining the fiction that they were nothing more than friends.

The act had already grown tiresome, first amongst the staff at the palace. Many of them were Michael's friends and no one missed the frequent sightings of Sarah slipping into his room at night and not leaving until morning.

The second one that had noticed was Victor, having known both of them longer than just about anyone else. He was the first to put together the rumors that were circulating around the palace, catching Sarah in the act of leaving one morning. Michael had never seen Sarah turn so red in the face at being caught, but he hoped that having more people find out about their arrangement might force her to confront the truth about them.

Alas, that hope turned out to be in vain. Sarah said nothing about it, and another week wore on without any change in their situation.

Frankly, Michael was tired of it. He loved Sarah, and he had big plans for their future. That was why he had the crown of the Javan Empress sitting on his desk that morning. He wanted to offer it to Sarah with the condition that she marry him and put aside this fiction once and for all.

And yet, he was very apprehensive about offering it to her, knowing there was a chance that Sarah could run again but it was something that he had to do.

Despite having Sarah in his bed every night, it was time to make this official. He didn't want to sneak around with her anymore. He wanted everyone in Java to know that Sarah was his and that he intended to make her his wife.

It was time to stop lying to everyone else and mainly to themselves.

Sarah arrived in his office right on time. All it took was a message passed to her by one of Michael's servants that he wished to see her and that he had nothing else on his schedule that afternoon. That was one of the coded messages they sent each other when privacy was needed.

Of course, Sarah didn't disappoint. She was wearing a warm summer dress that day, and she wasted no time locking the door, crossing the room to Michael, hiking up the dress and slipping onto his lap.

Sarah kissed him longingly as her hands searched for his cock. "I really enjoy our secret afternoon sex sessions."

"Sarah, wait," said Michael as her hands found his cock and stroked him to hardness.

"No waiting," she pouted, lifting herself up and notching him at her entrance. She shivered as she sank down on him, pressing her forehead against his.

"Fuck," muttered Michael, always loving that feeling of being inside her.

Sarah smiled and kissed him lovingly. "That's the idea."

For the next ten minutes, she rode him hard until he came, filling her womb with his seed like he had many times before. Sarah collapsed against his body when they were finished, clutching onto him tightly.

Though they still had that fiction that this was just sex, it had never been "just sex" to either of them. For one, people that just had sex didn't cuddle afterward, and Sarah quite enjoyed the aftermath of sex, when she could snuggle into his arms and be held. Secondly, there was passion in just about every move that Sarah made, a passion that Michael suspected was driven by love. If this was just a business connection that only occurred because they were both willing and lonely, their lovemaking would be a lot more mechanical and a lot less emotional.

Facing those facts is what gave Michael the ultimate confidence to say what came next.

"Marry me, Sarah."

Her body stiffened against him instantly. She stopped hanging onto him so hard and in the next moment, she looked at him with eyes of apprehension.

"Tell me you didn't really just say that," she whispered to him.

Michael's response was firm and clear. "I did mean it. Marry me, Sarah."

She shook her head. "You don't mean that. You're just saying that because we just had sex. You're not thinking clearly."

"I've never thought more clearly in my life," said Michael, pulling her closer. "This is not the sex talking. I'd planned on this before you even got in here."

With those words, Michael gestured to the crown sitting on his desk. It was the first time that Sarah had noticed it and she gasped upon seeing the glittering jewels.

"Is that what I think it is?" she asked.

"It is. It's the crown of the Javan Empress," said Michael. "I want you to have it. I want you to say yes, Sarah. I want you to be my wife, and I can't do this alone. I don't want to do this alone. I want you to be my wife and my partner. I want you to be my empress. I love you, Sarah."

"Michael, stop," she said, tears falling from her eyes. "You know this can't happen. It can't be."

"It can be," he said more forcefully. "I will make it so. I'm the Emperor, Sarah. I will do whatever it takes for you to be my Empress. I will change any law and convince any objector. I don't care about that, and I know you don't either."

"I do care about it," said Sarah in a weak tone, confirming Michael's suspicions. "The differences between us are too great to overcome."

"Do you love me?"

Sarah's eyes locked on him. "What?"

"Answer the question. Do you love me?"

"Michael, I..."

Michael waited for her to speak. She looked like she wanted to run like she had all those times before. Ironically enough, it was the fact that they were still physically connected that prevented her from dislodging too easily.

Finally, he had to do something big.

"Sarah, look at me."

Her pained brown eyes focused on his. Michael could see everything at that point--the fear of being hurt but also something different. Something that looked a lot like love.

"I know you love me," he said softly. "And I love you. The entire time I've known you, we've ran from this relationship. First I was the one to run and then it was you. Both of us were scared. I'm not scared any longer, Sarah. I want you and I'm tired of playing this charade, this fiction. I'm tired of just doing this," he said, gesturing to their bodies.

Sarah looked hurt. "You're tired of having sex with me?"

Michael shook his head. "I'm tired of pretending this is just sex. We're not just having sex, Sarah. We're making love to each other and it's been that way since our first time together. You might be willing to continue the lie but I'm not. I will give you my entire heart. Hell, you already have it. I love you, Sarah, and I just want to make you mine forever. Will you be mine? Will you be my wife?"

The dam burst at that point. Sarah could no longer contain her emotions. More tears came down her face but they were tears of happiness, not sorrow. She kissed him out of nowhere, a kiss that was more representative of the way they made love than anything else.

"Please don't hurt me," she said after the kiss broke. "I can't lose you. I can't lose you, Michael."

"You'll never lose me. Not now," he promised. "Just say yes."

Sarah nodded her head rapidly. "Yes. I'll do it. I love you. I love you, Michael."

"Finally!" he said triumphantly, kissing her over and over and making her laugh. "I feel like I've been waiting a whole year to hear you say that."

"A year?" asked Sarah, laughing with him through the tears. "A year that I chased you while you wanted me to just go away!"

"What a fool I was," said Michael, laughing with her. "Well, a fool no longer. It's time for us to start a future together."

"When do we start?" she asked breathlessly.

Michael kissed her again. "How about now?"

*****

Victor was not the least bit surprised when the couple burst into his office ten minutes later, high on the acknowledgment of what everyone else already knew. In fact, Victor raised one eyebrow when he saw their faces and seemed to know exactly what had happened.

"Well, it's about damn time," he said, shuffling a file to the other side of his desk.

Sarah blinked and looked at Michael first and then back to Victor. "About time for what, Victor?"

He gestured between them. "That you two stopped fooling yourselves and admitted that you wanted to be with each other. I was beginning to think you'd never figure it out."

Michael chuckled. "It did take us a while to figure out. And we are both stubborn."

"Stubborn is one thing but keeping up half the palace throughout the night is the other," muttered Victor. "Everyone here knew what was going on, and I've heard that several members of the staff had bets on how long it was going to take."

Sarah paled a little. "Everyone knew?"

Victor grinned at her. "Except you two, that is until now."

Sarah put aside her embarrassment for a moment, no doubt remembering that this was supposed to be a happy occasion. "Well, it's all in the past now. We love each other and we're going to get married."

"Then I suppose we're going to have to put on our second official ceremony," said Victor, looking at Michael. "We're going to need to coronate a new empress."

"My thoughts exactly," replied Michael, wearing a grin.

Though the coronation would take some time to plan, Michael wasted no time in having their own private ceremony together where he and Sarah could be wed. It was a small affair, only intended by a handful of people (most notably the surviving band of rebels), and it was officiated by Victor, which only seemed appropriate.

"You can still back out if you want," said Victor, elbowing Michael in the ribs playfully. "You're the Emperor after all. Nobody expects you to be tied to one woman forever."

Michael laughed at him. "Which is exactly why I'm doing it. It's time for things to change."

Michael's words seemed to indicate a satisfying motif to fit the day. As the first imperial wedding set to hit Belfort in a generation, it was a symbol of the changing status of the empire, especially considering that one of Michael's first acts was to make Sarah not just his empress-consort but as a full reigning monarch just like he was.

"Are you sure about this, Michael?" she asked, once he signed off on the legislation. "This is unprecedented. Empresses have never had this much power in Java before."

"All the more reason to do it," said Michael. "I want everyone to understand that you are my wife and my equal, and that we rule together. If I'm going to break the Bainbridge family "curse" then I'm going to need your help doing it.

Sarah slipped into his arms. "You know this means you can't get rid of me now? You have to stay with me forever."

Michael kissed her. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

*****

Just as Michael was setting things right with his new wife, Jack was also busy putting the Javan state back together. Sometimes, he felt as busy as the young emperor, knowing that much of the responsibility for the Javan state fell on his shoulders. While there were some that said that Java should be left to put herself back together, Jack wasn't one of them.

Java was his home for so long that he felt a sense of obligation in making sure that she had recovered as much as possible before heading for home. He wanted the Javans to have the best shot at their new future, and he wasn't going to leave until that was a reality.

Of course, that didn't mean he didn't have time for fun or family. Abigail's family stayed for a total of three weeks before departing back for Aberdeen, giving Howard and Lydia ample time to catch up with their daughter and learn about their new son-in-law. Jack found that he rather enjoyed getting to know Howard and Abigail's brothers, Andrew and Alex, and he also found that they enjoyed fishing as well. After Russ showed him a great spot where the fish were biting well, Jack took his in-laws out on one quiet day, coming back with plenty of fish and even more good feelings.

By the time that Abigail's family left, Jack was actually sad to see them go, and he made sure they knew they had a standing offer to visit Kalmar.

"Just let us know when Abigail is getting close," said Lydia as she hugged Jack. "We'll be on the next ship out."

"You can count on it," said Jack, kissing her cheek. "We'll miss all of you."

Lydia smiled. "Take good care of my daughter, Jack."

As it turned out, the Wainwright family wasn't the only one departing for home. So too were the Tyroleans. On this particular morning, Jack met with Trevor and Nina as their army prepared to make for the new Tyrolean border.

"Ready to go back so soon?" asked Jack with a grin once he shook hands with Trevor.

"So soon?" asked Trevor, chuckling. "I feel like I've been here too long already!"

"There are many in my army that are saying the same thing," said Jack. "No doubt they'll be envious to watch you march away to home while they have to stay a little longer."

"Will you be staying that much longer? It's been close to a month already, Jack. How much longer do you need?"

Jack took a deep breath and shrugged. "Hopefully one more week. But we'll see. I never anticipated it would take this much to get the country back on proper footing, but I feel like my work is almost done."

Nina smiled. "I'm sure your people will be happy to get back home. After all, they've crossed the entire world to do the impossible. That has certainly earned them a significant amount of rest."

"And the same goes for your people," replied Jack. "What you've accomplished is incredible. From the ragtag group that you initially told me about to this massive army that stood down the Javan Empire, you can be incredibly proud of what you've done."

"Proud but tired," said Trevor, smiling. "And we are all in need of some peace and quiet."

"Amen to that," said Jack.

Jack embraced both of them before it was time to go. He watched them walk away from a distance, joining the rearguard echelons of their army as they started the long march back to Tyrol, covered in glory.

Every single one of them had achieved something momentous. And now they could enjoy the fruits of their victory.

And yet, just as one group was leaving Belfort, another was arriving. Later that afternoon, Jack received word of the arrival of a small cruiser into the capital city, but it was the origin of the ship that had everyone excited enough to welcome the visitor.

The ship had come from Quiller's Cove.

Jack met Stan Lucas on the docks of Belfort, being amongst the first to welcome the old commodore back to his home after so many years spent abroad.

Jack grinned at him as soon as he saw him. "I see you received my message to come home!"

The moment was almost too much for Stan. As soon as his feet were on the dock, he gripped the railing and started to weep. In the next moment, the older man embraced Jack, patting his back rapidly.

"I never thought I'd see this day come, Jack," he said, wiping away a tear. "I'm finally home."

"You're finally home," Jack echoed, his grin beaming. "I told you I had a promise to uphold to you. I meant every word."

Stan shook his head. "It almost doesn't seem real to me. Seeing the city and being here. So much has changed. It's going to take years for me to catch up on everything!"

"I'm sure there's going to be some people that will be very happy to see you," replied Jack. "And you're going to be doing a lot of entertaining at your new house."

Stan gave him an odd look, which caused Jack to chuckle. "What new house?" he asked.

"I didn't tell you?" asked Jack playfully. "Well, forgive me then. It seems the last emperor had accumulated more mansions than he could ever hope to use by himself. It's a waste to let them all be bought up again when they get sold by the state so I took the liberty of grabbing one of the nicer ones as a place to call your own. I figured the fact that it used to be Bancroft's would make the offer even better."

Stan couldn't help but laugh in the process. "The old bastard would be rolling over in his grave if he knew that."

Jack laughed with him. "That's what I was hoping! Come on, let's get you situated. You're probably starving."

For the next day, Jack made sure that Stan was in a good place to accept his changed circumstances. He didn't have much in possessions anymore, so there wasn't much to move to the new mansion but the best part of seeing him take ownership was being reunited with his family, all of whom hadn't seen him in years.

It seemed most fitting that the commodore was finally in a place where he could enjoy peace for the rest of his life.

Though most things in Java were now in order, there was still one big item that Jack had to see to, and that would require him to see Michael Bainbridge. It was the next morning that he made a call on the young emperor, finding him in good spirits.

Of course, he always seemed to be in good spirits these days. Jack had heard about the private nuptials of Michael to the new Javan empress, and he'd noticed a subtle change in the man ever since that took place. The somewhat cold and matter-of-fact exterior for the emperor seemed to have melted somewhat with his marriage, and it gave Jack hope that Java was in good hands for the future.

As it went, finding Michael also meant finding his new wife, Sarah, and the two were together in Michael's study when Jack came to visit.

"Good morning, Jack!" called out Michael as soon as he saw his visitor. "How are you this fine day?"

Jack couldn't help but chuckle as he looked at Sarah and then back at Michael. "Marriage is very agreeable with you, Michael. I haven't seen a day go by that you haven't been in an excellent mood."

Sarah giggled at that comment. "I greatly prefer this version of Michael. The brooding version is a lot tougher to get along with."

"I thought the same thing the first time I met him," joked Jack, causing the smile to melt from Michael's face.

"If you're both done having a row with me, I'd like to know what this is all about," said the young emperor.

Jack put his hands up. "Only teasing, Michael. All in good fun."

"By the way, since you're here, you can tell me what you think of this," said Michael, offering Jack a piece of paper. Jack took it and read carefully, a surprised look coming on his face as he reached the end.

"Well, that's certainly unexpected," replied Jack finally. "You're no longer going to be an emperor?"

"It only makes sense," said Michael. "After all, there's no longer an empire with Thessaly going their own way."

Jack nodded, remembering that news came in two nights before. The Thessalians had already had their referendum on independence, and they'd voted for statehood by an overwhelming margin. With Tyrol and Thessaly now gone, Java couldn't claim to be an empire any longer.

"So you'll just be king and queen now?" asked Jack, looking at the young couple. "That will be a change a long time in the making."

"It's the right thing to do," replied Michael. "After all the Javan Empire doesn't have the best track record on the world stage, and we certainly have our history books full of crazed emperors. Perhaps it's time we give the Javan Kingdom a chance? If we're going to forge a new history, we might as well give it everything we have."

"It's a very noble decision," said Jack. "And you might want to have a talk with Ambros. He has gone through a very similar change in respect to his country."

Michael grinned. "Two steps ahead of you on that, Jack. Ambros and I are having dinner together tonight."