Thanks to
Kpatch for the title!
Maggie stood at the window in Victor’s bedroom, watching the nighttime lights dance over the snow-covered grounds that had kept most of their family and friends from attending tonight’s ceremony. She looked down at the wedding band on her left hand. Married. She was a married woman. No longer Mrs. Mickey Horton, but Mrs. Victor Kiriakis now. She had imagined that she would feel different, yet she didn't. Not yet, at least.
Mickey had been her one and only for over thirty years, but the love he’d brought into her life went far beyond that of a husband. There was the love that she’d felt for Alice, not just her mother-in-law, but the mother she’d longed to have. Tom had been much more than a father-in-law to her. He and Mike had worked so tirelessly to make her better when her body had started to betray her.
Her daughters were Hortons, though only in name. Blood relations had never mattered much to Alice and Tom. If they loved someone, then they were family. She would always be a Horton, but now she was a Kiriakis too. And while she had a lifetime of wonderful memories behind her, she had so many memories to make with her new family. A son. A granddaughter. A husband.
Tomorrow she and Victor would leave for their honeymoon, if the roads to the airport were passable. But tonight they were still in Salem. It felt right to spend their wedding night in Salem.
Victor had gone into the bathroom to change, but she was still in her wedding gown, too lost in thought to remember that she was supposed to be changing clothes. She felt happy yet melancholy, excited yet apprehensive. Her mind and body were full of contradictions. Her body was telling her how much she wanted this man and how she yearned to be his wife in every sense of the word, yet her mind was not quite as at ease with the fact that she was now another man’s wife.
She’d married Mickey four times, though only three of the ceremonies were valid since the first time she’d thought her husband was Marty Hansen. Victor was a far different man from Mickey. Truth be told, she probably didn’t want to know the things he’d seen and done in his past. Her life with Mickey had been quiet, but happy. They didn’t need or want the adventure and danger that had permeated Victor’s life.
Maggie jumped as she felt her husband's hand on her hip and his body against hers, jolting her from her thoughts.
"I'm sorry," he whispered in her ear, sliding his arms around her as he stood behind her. He kissed the side of her head, holding her to him. "I thought you were going to change."
Maggie looked down. She was still wearing her wedding gown. Seeing Victor's arms around her waist and his hands resting against her stomach, she was transported back to reality. She was in love this man. Head over heels in love with him.
"I got distracted watching the snow fall," she stated, leaning back against him. That wasn’t entirely a lie. She’d married Mickey the second time in late January when snow was on the ground. He’d been so handsome that day. It wasn’t the same as their wedding on the farm, but it was the start of their lives together in Salem.
"Why don't I help you out of this?" Victor suggested, removing his arms from her waist.
Maggie bent her head forward, moving her hair aside. As the zipper slid down her spine to the small of her back, she felt Victor's lips against her neck. He brushed his hands across her shoulders as he helped her to push the exquisite material from her arms. Maggie turned, reaching out her hand to steady herself against her husband as she stepped out of the gown.
She held the dress in her hands, looking down at its intricate stitching. She’d worn a much simpler dress the first time. This gown was far more delicate and had been far more expensive too. But Mickey didn’t care about things like that.
“You were right,” Victor spoke, again jarring her from her reminiscence. “The gown is perfect and I love it as much as you do.” Victor took it from her hands, moving to lay it across a chair.
Turning around to find Maggie still standing in the same place, he took the few steps back in her direction, stopping directly in front of her. “You’re very quiet,” he noted.
Slowly, she lifted her head up to look at him. The way that he was gazing at her made her smile. In all the years she’d know him, she’d never really paid much attention. She hadn’t cared to know the man behind the façade of Victor Kiriakis.
There was a feeling in the pit of her stomach that only grew stronger the longer they stared at each other. It wasn't anxiety or nervousness, but desire. Desire for him and him alone. She let her gaze travel down Victor's body. He had taken off his jacket and bowtie. His white shirt was wrinkled from the hours of wear it had seen tonight.
“I’ve only ever done this with one man,” Maggie admitted. “The wedding night, that is,” she added seeing Victor’s perplexed reaction.
He ran his thumb across her cheek, her eyes closing. His touch was electric against her skin. She could feel her entire body coming alive as Victor's hand traced down her jaw line. Bending his head down to kiss her, he tentatively pressed his lips against hers. He was uncertain of how quickly and how far to push her after such an admission, yet Maggie willingly accepted his kiss
Victor pulled away from her and held out his hand. Maggie looked up at him, her husband, silently inviting her into his bed. She placed her hand in his and they walked the short distance to the bed together.
Victor stopped in front of her and bent his head down to kiss her. Maggie’s hands grasped the material of his shirt; her fingers absently releasing the buttons of his shirt.
Removing the white shirt from his shoulders, Victor cast it aside. As Maggie watched him undress, she felt a memory of another wedding night fighting to rise in her memory. She quickly banished the thought; this was the time make memories, not to relive them.
Victor kissed her neck; his hand rested on her hip, playing with the silk of her slip as he looked lovingly at his wife. He eventually slid his hand further down, over her thigh as he sought out her bare skin, her eyes closing instinctively. Finally, he found his way beneath the material, sliding it up slowly as his fingertips trailed across her thigh. She felt her heart beating wildly in her chest. "You are gorgeous," he whispered.
Even as comfortable as she felt with him, she still felt vulnerable. Yet she also felt strong and beautiful. He was the only person who would see her like this for the rest of her life and that somehow felt exciting.
Maggie looked up at her husband, understanding the meaning of his expectant gaze. In that instant, she gave herself over to him, to being his wife. All she knew was the deep intensity of her desire for Victor. Mickey was her past. This man was her future.
END
