Simon Green - A Hard Day's Knight

“But ... we’ve been together such a short time,” Kae said to Arthur. “After so many years ... Will I ever see my brother again, Lady?”

“Who knows?” said Gaea. “Merlin did make you immortal, after all. He must have had his reasons.”

“Of course we’ll meet again,” said Arthur. “You really think I’d fight the Final Battle for all Humanity, without my trusted brother at my side?”

The two men embraced fiercely, then one walked off with the Lady of the Lake, and the other walked off to rejoin his London Knights. And Suzie and I were left standing there in the street.

“Let’s go home, John,” said Suzie. “It’s been a very long day.”

“Yes,” I said. “Let’s do that.”

We walked off down the street, Suzie’s arm through mine. After a while, she looked at me seriously.

“There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you, John.”

“Oh yes?”

“I’m pregnant.”

I stopped dead and looked at Suzie, who looked calmly back at me.

“You’re ... what?”

“I’m pregnant,” said Suzie. “I’m going to have a baby.”

“How did that happen?”

“Well, if you don’t know by now ...”

“A baby,” I said. “We’re going to have a baby ...”

“How do you feel about that?” said Suzie.

I smiled at her. “I couldn’t be happier.”

We started walking again, her arm tucked companionably through mine, her leather-clad shoulder pressed against my white trench coat.

“We’ve come a long way,” I said, after a while. “We’re neither of us the people we used to be.”

“Just as well,” said Suzie. “They were both very ... limited people.”

“Been through a lot of changes,” I said, carefully not looking at her. “And most of them, together. I don’t think we could have come half so far, without each other’s support.”

“We do make a good team,” said Suzie.

“Yes,” I said. “First as colleagues, then as partners. But now ... baby makes three. We can do a lot as partners, but I don’t think raising a child is one of them. Would you like to marry me, Suzie?”

She looked straight ahead, her face as cold and unreadable as ever. “You always were the romantic one.”

“I’m serious.”

“I know. I love you, John. As much as anyone like me can love anyone. But I don’t want you marrying me out of a sense of obligation.”

“You know me better than that.”

She looked at me briefly. “Yes. I suppose I do.”

“I love you, Suzie Shooter. Much against my better judgement. Because I need you.”

“And I need you, John Taylor. If only to watch my back while I’m reloading.”

“So you’ll marry me?”

“Yes,” said Suzie, in her usual cool, collected voice. “As long as it is fully understood; I will not be wearing white.”

We walked along some more.

“Can you imagine what our kid is going to be like?” I said. “He’ll be running this place before he’s twenty.”

“Damn right,” said Suzie Shooter.

You are cordially invited to the wedding of

John Taylor and Suzie Shooter.

No guns, knives, or explosives,

by request.