Home to You
By Misha
Disclaimer- Not mine.
Author’s Notes- I originally intended to publish this between chapters 18 and 19, but life got in the way and this languished in my WIP folder until I decided to finish it for MC and family day of ACORAW. Delphinia and Victus are by far my favorite Choices family members and one of my favorite side couples.
Rating- PG
Summary- After a decade apart, Delphinia and Victus are finally reunited.
Delphinia hurried along the Roman streets, her feet carrying her faster than they had in years. But then it had been years since she had walked far at all, not since Gaul…
As she left the city behind her, getting closer to the camp Portia had directed her to, suddenly those days didn’t seem so long ago at all. Yet, it had been almost ten years. Ten years without her husband and children.
But the Goddess had brought them back to her. They were all alive and they were all in Rome. Delphinia hadn’t seen Cingerix again, since their brief meeting; she had traveled with Caesar and Cleopatra, while many of the soldiers had been on a different boat, but she knew he was here and that the Goddess would reunite them.
And Portia… She had seen her daughter, seen first hand the beautiful woman she had grown into. Her daughter had apparently thrived in their years apart, which both delighted and worried Delphinia.
Now there was only one reunion left… And her heart beat rapidly in her chest at the very idea of it, of seeing Victus again and being in his arms after so long. Her husband, her one and only love. Ten years might have separated them, but it had done nothing to dim her love for him.
Delphinia raced over the hills, seeing the camp Portia had described, and she felt like a young woman again, the years and worry fading away as she got closer. And then she saw him. Older and more weathered than she remembered, but still the most handsome man she had ever seen
“Victus!” The cry came without warning, spilling out of her throat all on its own.
He stood at the sound of his name, glancing around warily and then his face lit with surprised joy. They ran to each other. His arms were around her, swinging her up into his embrace and holding her oh so close.
“Delphinia,” he breathed, his beard scratching her cheek, “my love, is it really you?”
“It is,” she assured him, clinging to him, “the holy mother reunited us, just like I knew she would.”
“How can I ever doubt her when she gave me you?” Victus asked, “and now she has brought you back to me.” His lips found hers and Delphinia responded eagerly. A decade had passed since she had kissed her husband, but it felt like it always had. It felt like home.
“I can’t believe you are really here,” Victus told her, leading her over to his camp, his hand securely in hers, “I was going to search for you, once Portia…” He trailed off, “have you seen our daughter?”
“I have,” Delpinia replied, “it was she who told me where to find you. I was there when she was presented to Caesar.” She frowned as she said the last. She knew the Goddess had plans for Portia, that she would be instrumental in bringing down Caesar, but it was still such a dangerous path.
Victus squeezed her hand, “she is doing what she must.” Yet despite his words, Delphinia could sense his worry. “She has grown into a woman to be proud of,” he continued, “she banished that snake Aquila.”
“How did she do that?” Delphinia asked curiously. She had so many questions to ask, so much they needed to share about the last ten years, but it felt good to just be together.
“Later,” Victus assured her, bringing his hand to her face, “there is much to say, but for now I just want to savor this moment.”
Delphinia nodded, leaning in to meet his kiss again, savouring the feel of his lips against her, the embrace that still felt familiar after all this time. There was much to discuss and Delphinia knew there would still be trials ahead, but they were together again, at last, and in this moment, that was the only thing that mattered.
- End
