Soulmates III -- (Completed)

[Shanna]

Soulmates III

Gus & Harley

December / 2004

This is the last of the Soulmates Trilogy

[Shanna]

Soulmates III... Chapter 1

To My Readers: This will take place in the future; Gus and Harley have been married 40 years. (2040) this will play off the history I created for them in Soulmates I and II. They have their 5 children: Zach, Jude, Connor, Hannah. They are grandparents at this point.

This story will be a little different – they will be celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary on December 22. They we’ll be getting the house ready for the holidays as they tell their story. This will be a short Soulmates. Hope you enjoy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Sweetheart, we’re back!” Gus called as he came through the door holding part of the Christmas tree while Frank followed behind him holding the bottom half.

“Hey babe.” Harley replied smiling as she came from the kitchen and kissed her husband.

“Did ya miss me?” Gus asked as they broke the kiss.

“You know I did handsome.” She said grinning then continued, “Zach called a few minutes ago to let me know that he’s going to drop Jack and Rebecca off for a little while so that He and Melissa can do some Christmas shopping.”

He nodded and was about to say something when Zach stuck his head in, “Mom, Dad we’re here.” He replied opening the door.

“Hey Grandma, Grandpa.” The kids said as they ran to hug them. Harley hugged Jack then looked at him. He looked just like his dad then she smiled still not believing her baby boy had a 10 year old daughter and an 11 year old son.

Zach shook her out of her thoughts, “You guys be good and mom and I will be back later.” He said kissing them then going to the car.

Jack looked over at his Grandfather, “Grandpa, can I help you and Uncle Frank with the tree?” he asked. Gus smiled, “You sure can buddy.” “Becca, sweetie why don’t you come help me in the kitchen.” Harley said.

“Grandma, you know only Grandpa calls me Becca.” She replied emphatically.

Gus walked up behind Rebecca and tipped her head back, “Yep you’re my Becca-boo right?” he asked kissing the tip of her nose. Rebecca nodded as Harley watched smiling, “You help Grandma okay.” She smiled up into his face before walking over to Harley.

Gus’s voice stopped Harley as they walked toward the kitchen, “Hey Grandma?” She smiled and turned around, “Yes Grandpa?” He motioned with his finger, “Come here a minute beautiful.” Harley went to him and he wrapped his arm around her. Frank smiled as Gus kissed her seeing how much in love they still were after all these years and the kids looked at each other smiling when they saw how much their grandparents meant to each other.

When they broke the kiss Gus smiled softly, “I love you.”

“And I you Aitoro.” She said before she and Rebecca went to the kitchen.

While Frank, Gus, and Jack began to put the tree up Harley let Rebecca help her with the Christmas goodies that she was making. “Grandma are you making chocolate-chip cookies for Grandpa?” Rebecca wondered

Harley laughed, “I sure am sweetie. You know he likes chocolate chip cookies. Grandpa likes chocolate.” Rebecca giggled as she looked at the recipe card, “this isn’t your writing grandma.” “No, I got this recipe from Grandpa’s mama sweetie.” Harley stated.

Rebecca washed her hands then ran to the doorway and just stood watching the guys as they put up the tree and began to put lights on it.

“Sweetie what are you doing?” Harley asked coming to stand behind her granddaughter. “Watching Grandpa.” She said even as Gus heard her and turned. Seeing Harley there he winked then turned again to talk to Frank and Jack. Going back in the kitchen Harley began cooking again while Rebecca sat at the table thinking.

An hour later Frank walked in with Jack, “Sis the tree’s set up and the lights are on all it needs is to be decorated, I’m gone I’ll be back later.” He said as Jack raided the refrigerator.

“Where’s Gus?” she wondered. Frank grinned, “Napping.” He replied then left.

When Jack sat at the table Rebecca looked up, “Grandma tell us how you met Grandpa.”

Harley looked at them a little surprised, “You guys don’t want to hear the story do you?”

Jack nodded, “Yeah Grandma how did you and Grandpa fall in love?”<br>
After she put the cookies in the oven, Harley sat down in the chair, where she could see Gus asleep on the couch.

“Well Jack, Rebecca it all started like this…”

Looking at her husband lovingly as he slept she began to tell their story.

[Shanna]

Soulmates III... Chapter 2

“Grandma!” Jack repeated watching as she looking at Gus. Being shaken from her thoughts Harley looked back at her grandson. “I’m sorry Jack, where was I?” she wondered.

“Grandpa had just walked you home after meeting you.” He stated.

“O that’s right, he walked me home to make sure the bully didn’t come after me. What I didn’t know at the time and your grandfather told me later was after he’d walked me home and after I got in the house; he sat on the park bench all afternoon and did his homework while he watched over me. Later when Frank came home he left and went back to his house.”<br>
“He must have liked you.” Rebecca said smiling.

Gus quietly stood at the door watching his wife and grandkids and listened.

“We became friends and spent all our time together, we counted on each other. There was a lot of ups and downs in both our lives --.” She started to say but Jack interrupted her, “Was Grandpa the one to give you your first kiss Grandma?” Harley laughed, “Yes Jack he was.”

Gus smiled then turned when he heard the front door open. Seeing who was at the door he put a finger to his lips to silence them as they came in and went to them.

He had wanted to surprise Harley with a family Christmas so with Frank’s help he had talked with all his children and they agreed that they would come with their families.

Jude hugged Gus, “Where’s mom?”

“She’s in the kitchen telling Jack and Rebecca the story of how we met.” He answered then hugged Zach, Connor and kissed Hannah. “Let me go see what part she’s at and help her with the story.” He stated then went back to the kitchen and listened.

“After I had seen Grandpa the first day; I knew something was different but I wasn’t sure what, so after work that day, I went to our special place to think about him since I hadn’t seen him in several years. I had only been there a few minutes when I heard his voice but we were both a little scared so we didn’t move.

“Was he still different?” the kids wondered.

“Yes he was but just to see him made me happy.” Harley said softly. “Grandma why was he so angry ---.”<br>
“Because I had spent a long time trying to find the man that killed my dad and I needed her but she wasn’t there since she had gotten married.” Gus answered as he walked in and sat down beside Harley.

“But she wasn’t married anymore Grandpa!” Rebecca said crawling into his lap.

“Well, Becca-boo, I had tried really hard to forget Grandma cause I thought she was married.” He said smiling.

“But you couldn’t could you dad?” Zach asked coming in to sit down with Melissa beside him.

“Nope I couldn’t I kept remembering the pact that we’d made at ten.” Gus answered. “How would you know dad, you weren’t here?” Jack said puzzled.

Zach laughed, “Yes I was son Grandma had been married to my dad before Gus so I was around 3 when I first met him.” “Your dad’s right when I fell in love with Grandma again I had to consider that if I was to love her I had to love Zach as well. Gus stated.

Harley looked at him when he said “Beautiful why don’t we go decorate the family room while we finish the story.” She nodded and they all headed there. “Harley close your eyes babe.” He asked. When she did Gus took her hand and led her in the room where the kids and Frank were.

“Open your eyes honey.”

She did and tears brightened then when she saw Zach and his family and Jude and his wife Leigh, and the twins. “Merry Christmas honey. You’re wish was a family Christmas.” He whispered in her ear then she turned and her lips met his. “Thank you sweetheart.” Harley said softly as she looked in his eyes.

“Tell more of the story mommm! Please?” Jude whined and they all laughed.

“Okay where were we?” she asked as they began to decorate. “Me!” Jude replied grinning. “Yeah that’s right we’d gotten to this rascal.” She said kissing his cheek.

“Ok, Jack, Rebecca, Grandpa and I were just beginning to know each other again and I was expecting your Uncle Jude so I thought it would be better if he found out from me about the baby; he came to the house one day to work and so I told him. The guy I had known when we were teenagers is who reacted first. Grandpa had hoped I hadn’t heard what he’d said

“What’d you say Grandpa?”

Gus looked over, ‘Are you okay beautiful.’ Is what I first said too her.” Harley smiled, “I’d heard but as he said it I saw his eyes change and the man he’d become then got mad and asked if I was trying to wreck the case he was building.” Harley said as she stared at Gus for a minute then continued, “Anyway the days at work were interesting because he never knew what would set a mood swing in motion.” Harley replied.

“Gus honey, you tell this part.”

He turned and went to sit by her, “After the trial for the man I had been trying to catch I had to resign from the FBI, because of some things that had come up during my testimony about things having to do with me and my dad. By the time I resigned from the bureau the chief of police had hired me to work on the SFPD with Grandma as my partner. A few months later I was in great grandpa Buzz’s restaurant when my cell phone rang.” Gus couldn’t help but smile as he continued

“All I heard was static at first then Grandma telling me she was in jail in the next town. The static was getting worse so all I heard was the name of the town and not that she was in labor. By the time I got there I couldn’t help but wonder so I teased her about getting put in jail. I didn’t realize until after a few minutes that she was in labor, even though I tried to be that stranger she’d come to see me as couldn’t ---.” He stopped and Harley finished for him.

“He managed to get the door open to help me out but by then it wasn’t going to happen so when his cell phone rang he turned to answer it and accidentally shut the door and so Grandpa had to deliver Jude right there in that jail cell.”<br>
“You’re kidding?” the kids said with surprised looks on their faces.

“Nope we’re not.” She remarked grinning at the son in question.

“Keep going mom.” Zach asked.

“Let’s move this story forward several years.” Gus requested.

“Well after a while Grandpa moved in with me and Zach and Jude. We continued to be partners on the police force and made a pretty good team. One day I answered a call from the chief about a domestic situation---.” She started to say even as Gus added, “Even though I had asked her to wait for me before going in.”

“I didn’t wait and went in anyway and ended up as a hostage instead. Grandpa was watching from the building across the street and when nothing seemed to work both your Uncle Frank and Grandpa decided to help out. Ignoring an order they went to were I was and saw the guy.”<br>
“Grandma, what happened?” Jack asked.

“I got shot by the guy and grandpa didn’t know it until he reached me.”

“I have never been so scared in my life Jack except for when I saw her lying there. I kept telling her ‘she couldn’t leave me… don’t you leave me.” Gus replied.

“She didn’t Grandpa.” Rebecca said smiling.

“No, I didn’t sweetie, I couldn’t leave him he was the love of my life. I fought very hard to come back to him after the surgery; his love and determination is finally what brought me back.”<br>
Zach and Jude stopped decorating for a minute and just watched as Gus wrapped his arms around her and hugged her close and traced her face with his fingers. Looking at each other they smiled both happy that their momma had found the man that would love and cherish her and he had for 40 yrs.

“A few years later I asked Grandma to marry me and she said yes so we got married ---.” He started to say but the kids looked at their father.

“Dad what happened when your dad found out.” They wondered.

“Well my dad didn’t mind they were married until he found out I wanted to call Gus dad. I told mom what I wanted and she and Gus said they’d figure something out, I didn’t know until later that Gus had talked to my dad and he agreed that I could call him daddy. Later that night, however, when my dad was coming back from a business trip he was killed in a car accident.” Zach replied staring at Harley.

“Rebecca looked at her dad, “Daddy who helped you through being sad?” Zach knelt by her and hugged his little girl, “Grandpa helped me sweetie and much later he adopted me so my last name became Spaulding –Aitoro.”<br>
Harley smiled, “Sweetie it during this time that I was pregnant with Connor and Hannah.”

“Really?” Jack remarked as he stood up and went to get a picture of Gus and Harley when they were younger and bring it back to her. After looking at the picture and then at Connor he looked at Harley

“Uncle Connor looks like Grandpa.” Harley looked over at Connor and saw him grin. She just stared at her son for a minute; he did look a lot like his father. He had the same dark hair, same intense beautiful brown eyes and same coloring. Jack shook her out of her thoughts of Gus, “Aunt Hannah looks like you.” He replied hugging Harley.

“Grandpa, Grandma that’s a great story.” Rebecca remarked.

They smiled at each other then Gus took her hand, “This whole story is why I love Harley so much. Because she’s been there with me no matter what.” He answered kissing her then turning to see the decorated room.

“The room looks great…. Now let’s get hot chocolate.”<br>

[Shanna]

Soulmates III... Chapter 3 (Conclusion)

His hand strokes her face. Her hand rest upon his heart for a just a few minutes then she takes his free hand; together they stand in silence staring into each other’s eyes. They are both drawn into thoughts of the life they have shared for the past 40 yrs. “I love you Harley very much.” Gus said quietly. “I love you too my white knight.” She answered softly kissing his bottom lip.

Zach and Jude stand in the distance watching their parents and smiling. “They love each other so much Zach, you can still see it in their eyes.” Jude replied. Zach nodded at his brother’s observation. “He absolutely adores her and will until his dying day. He is the man she was meant to be with, the man that let mom be who she is and loves her with his whole heart.” Zach stated in his observation and Jude agreed as they continued to watch.

The friends and family of Gus and Harley Aitoro gather to party and help celebrate their anniversary.

Gus sees Zach walking toward them, “Dad can I cut in.” he asked. He nodded and watched as mother and son danced. Feeling someone brush his arm he looked over and saw his daughter Hannah beside him

“Daddy may I dance with you?” She asked “Of course sweet girl.” He replied using the nickname he’d given her when she was little and they began to dance. They talked while they danced, “You are still my butterfly Hannah.” Gus replied.

“I know daddy.” She answered smiling up in his eyes. After a little bit, Michael, Hannah’s fiancée asked, “May I cut in Mr. Aitoro?” Gus smiled and with a wink went to find his wife.

They both watched everyone enjoy themselves for a little bit before they went to fix themselves plates of food. Sitting together they talked

“Are you having a good time honey?” Gus asked laying his hand over hers. She nodded, “As long as you’re with me I am.” She replied even as he tickled her and she laughed.

Through out the afternoon their friends came to congratulate them. Gus pulled her aside, “Sweetie, come with me?” he asked leading her to one of the two chairs that was sitting sit by side. After helping her into it he turned,

“Excuse me, may I have your attention?” he asked of their family and friends.

When they turned, the kids moved to his side as he began, “Forty years ago I asked this beautiful lady to marry me and she said yes. I never thought I would find someone like her to share my life but I did. We found each other when we were kids. She became my best friend, the person I could count on. Harley saw through the angry and sad man that most of you saw when I first came to Springfield.

Having her in my life again meant everything to me. Knowing that she could still see who I really was and that she opened her life and the lives of her to little boys knocked me off my feet.--.”

Gus sat beside her and took her hands, “-- Little by little I changed from being that angry man to the man she knew still existed, so beautiful I thank you for still believing in me. I love you and always will.” Gus finished as he kissed her gently.

Everyone toasted them; then Zach disappeared for a minute and went to get something and came back holding it behind his back and watched as they opened their presents.

As Harley and Gus sat together Zach, Jude, Connor, and Hannah walked up to them as everyone gathered around.

Zach set a triple framed picture beside them so everyone could see it than faced his parents

“Mama, Dad, was as the kids all got you a gift together so we have something special for you. We each want to say something before we give it to you though” Zach replied.

“You do?” Harley asked. He nodded as he began, “Since I’m the oldest I’ll go first… Mom you know how much I love you so actually what I have to say is for dad.” Gus looked up and Zach continued, “I remember watching you with mom when I was little and I wondered how and why you’d opened your life to two little boys that weren’t yours. The more I saw you with mom and how you treated her, I knew you must have loved her and by loving her you must have loved those little boys very much. For that I will always be grateful; because in many ways I saw you as my dad more than my real father. So dad, thank you for loving those two little boys as your own.” Zach finished and Gus stood to hug him then sat down as Jude started, “I have to agree with Zach dad and thank you for seeing those two boys as your own even though they weren’t.

As we’ve grown up we’ve all seen how much you and dad love each other, mom and that’s meant a lot to all of us.” He said as he leaned in and kissed Harley’s cheek then hugged Gus. Connor stepped up, “While we were all growing up we all heard in various ways the story that you and dad share, I know I’ve asked you dad how you met mom and fell in love--.” “And mom I’ve asked how you fell in love with daddy.” Hannah replied.

Connor continued, “To each one of us that story means something because it told us just how our parents loved each other. The love story you share is unique to the two of you and we will forever carry that story in our hearts.” He said then Hannah spoke,

“Mama and Daddy we love you very much and this is a gift that all four of us came up with to give you today, so we hope you like it.”<br>She remarked then Zach and Jude went and pulled the coffee table over to them and sat on the edge in front of them while Connor and Hannah sat on the floor at their parents’ feet. Everyone else gathered around to listen.

Zach carefully pulled the paper out of the box that Connor had brought over and began to read it to them

~ For Gus and Harley on their 40th Wedding Anniversary ~
We Love you, Zach, Jude, Connor and Hannah.

For Then and Always

Who knew that she then at ten would meet the boy of her dreams? And he at ten rescues the girl he would someday marry. For this was a love so unique that it was theirs alone and no one could describe.

They were friends that came to depend on each other through the good and the bad times. She was his constant in the storm and he was hers always.

As they grew up they were tried with many trials but still their love stayed; she was his heart and he was her heart. No one could understand the pull that these two people had. Through the years these two were pulled and separated; each of their lives gone in a different direction. He was becoming an FBI agent, she becoming a mother. Each not finding the other; but in their hearts not forgetting the friend.

Fate stepped in when he stepped through the door, she heard his voice and he saw her face. The pull between, each had them going to their special place. He wanted to lean, she wanted to reach for him but didn’t because she could see he had changed.

The love they shared was still there and still strong. It was strong enough to break down walls. She loves him and he loves her. When their lives became one the hearts became complete. In their lifetime together they are the mother and father of 4 children.

They’ve been together since they were ten…. Even today when you look at them you can see the friendship, support, and most importantly the love they share in their eyes. She will forever be
His “Coop” and he will forever be her love. This unique love story is theirs and only theirs… Then and Always. Forever Gus and Harley.[/]

When Zach looked up from reading he saw tears in both their eyes and the room was silent. When Harley reached for the paper Zach shook his head and laid it back in the box even as he reached under the tissue paper and picked up the frame.

Turning he looked at them both, “That triple frame beside you is engraved with the words Then and Always ~Gus and Harley. This is how we your kids remember your love story.” He replied passing them the frame and they saw that what he just read was inside.

Both Gus and Harley stared at the frame for several minutes as everyone watched in silence. Finally placing the frame next to the pictures they stood and hugged each of their children.

Standing Gus wrapped Harley in his warm, strong embrace and kissed her, “I love you Coop.” he said softly. “I love you too Gus.” she answered as he just held her.

Several years later…<br>
Zach, Jude, Connor and Hannah walk together in silence looking at the markers until they reach the one they are looking for. Standing together they look at the double marker

On the left side it read:

Gus Aitoro

B. April 16, 1968 D. May 22, 2046

On the right it read:

Harley Davidson Cooper-Aitoro

B. June 10, 1968 D. February 2, 2047

Underneath was this:

Beloved parents of Zach, Jude, Connor, and Hannah

They loved each other for Always!

Zach laid the flowers down, “We love you still. I can’t believe they’re both gone.” He whispered. Jude knelt, “I know me either but mom was lost without her soulmate just as dad was probably lost without her as his soulmate." All the kids nodded as they thought about their parents.