Rings of Memory

The only thing that Darien could think was that Penn looked so damn beautiful as she made her way down the aisle of the little Methodist church.   She was glowing like the sun as she walked arm-in-arm with her father, an aging man with salt-and-pepper hair who gave Darien a respectful nod as their eyes met. After Penny had left him, they had sat down together and told William Goodwyn what he was and why his daughter had decided to call it quits on their relationship of nearly six years. The man had taken it surprisingly well and his words later cemented the decision being made despite the heartbreak it had caused.   “No father wants to watch his child suffer,” William had said as they sat on the back stoop of the Goodwyn home, warm beers in hand. “She would’ve never been happy living your life, son.”   “I know,” Darien replied. taking a long pull from the bottle in his hand. “That’s why I let her go.”   The truth had created a deep respect between the two of them and William was entirely the reason that Penny’s decision about who should stand on her side at the wedding had been respected. Her mother, Sarah, had died when she was five years-old as the Goodwyn’s were older when they had their second child. Then her brother, William Jr. (or just Bill), had died in ‘44 during the war, twenty-three to her twelve at the time. After that, it had just been Penny and her father and William Goodwyn would have struck down the moon if his little girl had wanted it.   It was why he hadn’t said a word about her living with Darien when such a thing was usually a scandal (and had been around town). And why when she wanted Darien standing at her side in the wedding alongside her fellow police secretary, Phyllis McCarty, William had talked to the preacher and made it happen. He didn’t know what kind of silver tongue the man had, but he wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.   “Isn’t she lovely?” Phyllis whispered next to him, rising slightly on her toes to get her mouth closer to his ear. He wasn’t a particularly tall man but she was a very short woman, so he leaned slightly towards her to aid her efforts. “I hate that you two didn’t work out.”   Darien smiled, not taking his eyes off of Penny, as he whispered back, “You know why, Phil.” Most of the current force serving at the Bigby Fork police department knew what he was at this point or at least that he wasn’t exactly normal. Working the Gum Pond Killer case with Arthur had forced him to expose a lot of his secrets, but it had turned out alright in the end.   Phyllis let out a little disappointed huff at his answer before saying, “You two were a lovely couple.” Then she thankfully had to be quiet because Penny was there being handed off by her father to John and Darien breathed a sigh of relief.   He and Penn had been a lovely couple, but some things just weren’t meant to last.   The vows felt like they went by in a blur, though that might be because of the fuzzy sensation that had taken up between his ears when the rings had come out. Back when he had been a drunken bastard of a rake with blood on his knuckles, Darien had never pictured gifting a woman a ring. He had barely even started picturing himself staying with a woman for a longer period of time than a few weeks when Ebio had attacked him, stealing his chance of a normal future. Ceallach had been the only one of his conquests that he had started thinking of like that and even that had still been new to him, fresh and fragile in his thoughts.   With Penny, he had finally started to feel like maybe he could have that future that had been stolen from him all those centuries ago. Until all of those hopes had been dashed and he had let her move on to live her life.   “Dari.”   He blinked and then looked down at her, inhaling sharply as he realized that Penny had her hands on his arms and he was standing outside the church. She instantly caught on that something wasn't right, steering him expertly away through the wedding guests until they stopped underneath a tall oak tree.   “Darragh,” Penny said gently, using his real name in an ever-so soft voice, “talk to me?”   He drew in a deep breath, the familiar floral scent of her perfume filling his nose, and murmured, “Sorry. I just…memories. Regrets.”   “How long ago?”   Smiling sadly, Darien replied, “I was thinking about that boy I was, before Ebio got her claws into me, and what he thought about marriage. He couldn’t even picture settling down with a single woman, let alone giving her a ring. And how I had changed from that boy.”   Penny just looked up at him for a long moment, her lower lip tucked between her teeth like she always did when thinking hard about something. Then she softly asked, “You thought about giving me a ring even after I told you I didn't want to be turned?”   Darien nodded, grateful that she knew him well enough to know what he had meant. How could he not have considered it? She had been the first woman to see the whole of him outside of his blood family and hadn't run. Not when she had found out that he was a vampire, nor when he had sat her down in the home he had built to tell her about the monster that lived inside his skin. “Of course I did,” he said with a smile that felt forced despite its honesty. “Any man, living or dead, would be thrice blessed to have you as his wife, Penn.”   She blushed at that and reached out to smack at his arm, saying, “I'm not that much of a catch, Dari. Do not go lying to John that I am.” Penny then smiled, continuing, “I know parties aren't your thing, but we're planning on going dancing later after I get changed. John's brother plays the guitar and he has some of his friends coming to play music for us in the Pittman barn. I'd…I'd like to dance with you one more time.”   Memories of her in his arms flashed through his mind at those words. Of her laughing, bright and brash as ever, as he twirled her around the house. Teaching her the dances of his youth to a vinyl of an Irish band that he had found in a depressing little thrift shop while living in Chicago. The pair of them learning the modern ones that neither of them knew together and revisiting those he had missed in years past when he had not bothered to engage with the world.   “My dance card always has an opening for you, Penn,” he stated in a low, rough voice. “So, yes, for you I'll come to a party.”   Penny smiled, bright as the sun, and his old heart broke because that smile would never be entirely his ever again. But he let her tuck her arm into his and tug him along back towards the wedding party, her head leaning against his shoulder.   Before they reached where the others could hear them, she asked softly, “What would my ring have looked like?”   Darien turned his head to look down at the top of her head and replied, “If I had bought it in my day? A simple band of some metal I could afford. Or maybe wood, carved by my own hands. With an inscription. Is leatsa mo chroí go deo.” He then frowned and added, “If I had purchased it for you now, it would be gold I imagine.”   Penny’s grip on his arm tightened, then her voice came even softer. So soft that only his enhanced hearing picked it up.   “What does that mean, Dari?”   He stopped walking and turned to look down at her, aware that some of the wedding guests were watching them now. All of them knew that they had been together and he knew personally that John Pittman, her new husband, was not a jealous man. Darien and he had spoken several times now and each knew where they stood in Penny’s life. John’s sister, Grace, had also been a victim of the Gum Pond Killer, so his role in the capture had garnered a great deal of respect from the man.   Leaning down, Darien kissed her cheek chastely and whispered in her ear, “It translates to My heart is yours forever.” When he leaned back, tears were welling up in her eyes and he smiled. “No sad tears today, Penn,” he said quickly, “you’ll smudge your makeup.”   Penny glared at him, shaking her head furiously, and then pressed her palms to his chest so she could rise on her toes to kiss his cheek.   “You are absolutely an infuriating man,” she hissed, but there was clear fondness and affection in her tone. Then she smiled and said, “I would have loved that ring, Darien. Maybe one day you’ll find someone who can accept it with her whole heart like I never could.”   He didn’t hold out hope for that. Finding another Penny Goodwyn? Who loved the man he had carved out of the monster and accepted the beast he had been? Darien didn’t think that he could ever get that lucky again…but maybe he would be wrong.   Then her fingers laced between his and Penny was tugging at his arm, dragging him behind her as she lifted the skirt of her dress to burst into a jog towards her husband. John stood at the top of the steps leading into the chapel, a soft smile on his face for his wife…and acceptance in his eyes for the man that she was pulling along behind her.   Maybe it wasn’t the ending he had pictured for their relationship, but he would take it.   Even if she was married to another man, his words were still true. His heart was hers and Darien would follow until the day that he watched her be put into the ground.