Epilogue

The sun was shining through the stained-glass windows, spilling its warmth onto the happy guests crowded into the church. The atmosphere was light and happy, the air filled with the scent of candles and fresh flowers. Sasuke was right where he wanted to be: waiting at the alter.

The slow wedding march began and he couldn’t help but grin as Hinata began to walk down the aisle, looking even more beautiful now than at her first wedding. She smiled back at him and winked. Sasuke’s eyes narrowed as they lowered to her flat stomach, and his heart panged slightly.

A month earlier, when the wedding preparations were complete and when Hinata had been a little more than five months with child, the couple had gone to see Tsunade for a regular check-up. Thinking that everything would be normal, the two held hands during the entire visit, smiling and becoming even more excited and nervous at the prospect of parenthood. But after running some of the regular tests, Tsunade, looking grave, left the room and came back fifteen minutes later, holding the test results tightly in her hands. Hinata, still smiling, had asked “So how’s my baby girl doing?”; Tsunade didn’t smile back.

Due to some complications that nearly put Hinata’s life in danger, the pregnancy was terminated. And the baby, Sasuke’s little girl, came out prematurely, dead. Through the tragedy, Hiashi and Sasuke had become close, and Hinata’s father was more than happy to accept Sasuke as his son-in-law.

Hinata climbed up the steps to the alter and Sasuke took her hands in his. He had told her before that perhaps they should wait a few more months to get married, what with the strenuous operation Hinata had to endure, but she refused; she wanted to be married to him as soon as possible. And Sasuke was glad that she had been stubborn; this was the happiest moment of his life.

Up until now, Sasuke hadn’t believed in a bigger power. But with the traumatic events of the past year or so, he now believed that destiny had brought him and the woman he loved together…and that one day, many years from now, he would see his baby girl again.

Hinata smiled widely. “I love you,” she mouthed, as the priest began the vows.

Sasuke returned the smile and squeezed her hands. “And I love you,” he mouthed back.

END

A/N: Oh…my…FORKING…god! It is finally done, folks! And I must say, I’m very satisfied with the ending. The beginning was pretty good, the middle was…meh, but the ending…well, I really like it.

Thank you to everyone who stuck with me during the two years (oh sweet Jesus!) it took me to write this fic!

And finally, I declare Down the Aisle by the great, sexy, all-powerful Cleone officially…COMPLETE!