Toward the Future
Oct. 15th, 2012 02:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
foralloursakesThey've done things quite out of order for propriety, but if Matt's questions are no surprise, the answers are no less joyous.
Whistling as he walked, Matt patted his pocket to be sure it was still there. It had taken more than two weeks to get it made and he'd hate to lose it now, but it was right where he'd put it, ready whenever he needed it. Which he hoped would be soon. He hoped it would be today. That part would be up to Emily, and maybe he should be concerned, nervous, uncertain, but he couldn't bring himself to be. After everything they'd been through, now that she'd accepted him as a lover, he couldn't see a single thing to stand in their way.
With the exception of the Future Predators they'd have to deal with on Halloween, but they were the reason to do this now instead of waiting. A secondary cause - the first being that he loved her - rather than an obstacle.
He found her by the reflecting pool near the rec center, sitting at the edge, and instead of greeting her with a hello, he greeted her with a kiss at the back of her neck. She would have heard him coming, so he didn't worry at all about startling her. "Nice afternoon, isn't it, love?"
Emily set down the flowers she'd been twisting into a tussie-mussie and turned to smile up at Matt. She held out her hand to him, inviting him close. "A very lovely day. Coming to join me?"
He hoped so, Matt thought with a smile. The innuendos and playful possibilities of her innocent question slid through his mind and down his spine (after so long without sex, he hadn't quite gotten used to having it; it was a bit like being a teenager again), but he took a seat beside her and her hand in his with it. Now was, even if he felt a touch tongue-tied, as good a time as any to talk about the future. "Not without ulterior motive, I'm afraid," he tried to tease, but it came out a little rough, emotional. "I wanted to... have you given any thought to our future together?" Oh, well done, Matthew. Put all the work onto her. "Because I've been thinking about it a lot the past week."
Curious, but hardly alarmed, Emily turned toward him, lacing her fingers with his comfortably. It was a reminder of how well they fit elsewhere and called to her face a quietly satisfied smile. "Only in that I am presumptuous enough to assume we have one. I suppose the visions of Halloween may cast that into doubt but we have changed the future before, you and I."
"It would take a far sight more than a few displaced super-carnivores to dislodge us from our path. We've survived the end of everything." He smiled down at their laced fingers and then back up at her, rather pleased with how pleased she looked. It emboldened him to push on then with his question. "It occurred to me that I've been assuming a need for contraception out of habit. As I'll not be sleeping with anyone else and I'm confident you won't, unless you'd prefer not to have children, we might as easily do without." True, it was a bit backwards, but he wanted to know first, so that if she didn't want children, she wouldn't think he'd rescind his offer of marriage because of it.
Emily looked a bit puzzled as she worked through his logic to discover the question hidden there. "Are you...asking me if I want to have children?" she said finally, a note of surprise in her voice. Her free hand crept to her belly. Children were one of the dreams she'd long since surrendered as old maidenhood had given way to widowhood with only a brief moment in which such things may have been possible.
"Actually--" Matt gave her a small smile, both for the look and the hand pressed instinctively to her belly. He could imagine her like this, some months from now, a rounded swell under her protective hand, and the desire that he'd never been allowed to cherish blossomed into full growth in an instant. "I was asking if you did not wish to have children, but the impact is the same. If you'd like to--" He lifted a hand to brush her hair from her face, and then cradled it against her jaw. "I would."
"Of course." Emily answered at once and then smiled broadly. "Of course I would. I thought perhaps you didn't want children. You've never said."
"It's only now become relevant," Matt replied and traced his thumb around the shape of her smile. Before he could talk himself out of it with nerves, he stood and retrieved the pearl ring from his pocket and got down on one knee. "I might have done this all backward--" It seemed so to him now, but he couldn't be troubled to care with the sun in her hair and her reflection on the pool behind them and the flowers in her hand. It was perfection. "But I wanted you to know if you said no to children, it wouldn't have changed this. Lady Emily Merchant, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"
Emily supposed that the right thing to do would be to pretend surprise or feign thought, but how could she? "I told you once, that I thought I might stay, if only there hadn't been the whole future relying upon you. You came back for me anyway. If it is my choice, I won't ever be parted from you again." She leaned forward and touched his cheek. "Yes, I will marry you, Matthew Anderson."
Never in his life had Matt tried to imagine what he might feel at a moment like this. Never in his life had Matt tried to imagine a moment like this; there had been no possibility before they arrived on the island and since then, he had been enjoying the present moment too much to live in what might someday be. Now that the moment had arrived, he could find no words to describe how he felt; perhaps their were none. Effervescent, incandescent, possibly, or more simply: joyous. "I love you, Emily."
He leaned up to kiss her, a slow, lingering kiss to seal the promise of forever, and then pulled back to slide the ring onto her finger - a simple thing of pearls and jewelry wire. "I know it's not much, but diamonds are in short supply on the island."
Emily laughed. "Pearls were far more common in my time in any case. You could not have chosen better." As every woman since time immemorial had done, she extended her hand away from her to admire her ring in the strong sunlight. "Nothing could be dearer to me than a ring given by your own hand."
"Nothing?" Matt teased her, then stood to lift her - rather unceremoniously - into his arms and spin her around like the children neither of them had ever been. "Not even me? Or the children we're going to have? How many children will we have, love? Do you want girls or boys?" And now effervescent did seem the proper word, because he couldn't stop grinning.
She'd never seen him like this and couldn't help the little shriek of laughter as he lifted her. Emily kissed him soundly, though she could not stop smiling even for that. "You are the dearest of all. And any children will be as well." How many? What an astonishing thing to ask when five minutes ago she'd never thought to have any children at all.
Whistling as he walked, Matt patted his pocket to be sure it was still there. It had taken more than two weeks to get it made and he'd hate to lose it now, but it was right where he'd put it, ready whenever he needed it. Which he hoped would be soon. He hoped it would be today. That part would be up to Emily, and maybe he should be concerned, nervous, uncertain, but he couldn't bring himself to be. After everything they'd been through, now that she'd accepted him as a lover, he couldn't see a single thing to stand in their way.
With the exception of the Future Predators they'd have to deal with on Halloween, but they were the reason to do this now instead of waiting. A secondary cause - the first being that he loved her - rather than an obstacle.
He found her by the reflecting pool near the rec center, sitting at the edge, and instead of greeting her with a hello, he greeted her with a kiss at the back of her neck. She would have heard him coming, so he didn't worry at all about startling her. "Nice afternoon, isn't it, love?"
Emily set down the flowers she'd been twisting into a tussie-mussie and turned to smile up at Matt. She held out her hand to him, inviting him close. "A very lovely day. Coming to join me?"
He hoped so, Matt thought with a smile. The innuendos and playful possibilities of her innocent question slid through his mind and down his spine (after so long without sex, he hadn't quite gotten used to having it; it was a bit like being a teenager again), but he took a seat beside her and her hand in his with it. Now was, even if he felt a touch tongue-tied, as good a time as any to talk about the future. "Not without ulterior motive, I'm afraid," he tried to tease, but it came out a little rough, emotional. "I wanted to... have you given any thought to our future together?" Oh, well done, Matthew. Put all the work onto her. "Because I've been thinking about it a lot the past week."
Curious, but hardly alarmed, Emily turned toward him, lacing her fingers with his comfortably. It was a reminder of how well they fit elsewhere and called to her face a quietly satisfied smile. "Only in that I am presumptuous enough to assume we have one. I suppose the visions of Halloween may cast that into doubt but we have changed the future before, you and I."
"It would take a far sight more than a few displaced super-carnivores to dislodge us from our path. We've survived the end of everything." He smiled down at their laced fingers and then back up at her, rather pleased with how pleased she looked. It emboldened him to push on then with his question. "It occurred to me that I've been assuming a need for contraception out of habit. As I'll not be sleeping with anyone else and I'm confident you won't, unless you'd prefer not to have children, we might as easily do without." True, it was a bit backwards, but he wanted to know first, so that if she didn't want children, she wouldn't think he'd rescind his offer of marriage because of it.
Emily looked a bit puzzled as she worked through his logic to discover the question hidden there. "Are you...asking me if I want to have children?" she said finally, a note of surprise in her voice. Her free hand crept to her belly. Children were one of the dreams she'd long since surrendered as old maidenhood had given way to widowhood with only a brief moment in which such things may have been possible.
"Actually--" Matt gave her a small smile, both for the look and the hand pressed instinctively to her belly. He could imagine her like this, some months from now, a rounded swell under her protective hand, and the desire that he'd never been allowed to cherish blossomed into full growth in an instant. "I was asking if you did not wish to have children, but the impact is the same. If you'd like to--" He lifted a hand to brush her hair from her face, and then cradled it against her jaw. "I would."
"Of course." Emily answered at once and then smiled broadly. "Of course I would. I thought perhaps you didn't want children. You've never said."
"It's only now become relevant," Matt replied and traced his thumb around the shape of her smile. Before he could talk himself out of it with nerves, he stood and retrieved the pearl ring from his pocket and got down on one knee. "I might have done this all backward--" It seemed so to him now, but he couldn't be troubled to care with the sun in her hair and her reflection on the pool behind them and the flowers in her hand. It was perfection. "But I wanted you to know if you said no to children, it wouldn't have changed this. Lady Emily Merchant, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"
Emily supposed that the right thing to do would be to pretend surprise or feign thought, but how could she? "I told you once, that I thought I might stay, if only there hadn't been the whole future relying upon you. You came back for me anyway. If it is my choice, I won't ever be parted from you again." She leaned forward and touched his cheek. "Yes, I will marry you, Matthew Anderson."
Never in his life had Matt tried to imagine what he might feel at a moment like this. Never in his life had Matt tried to imagine a moment like this; there had been no possibility before they arrived on the island and since then, he had been enjoying the present moment too much to live in what might someday be. Now that the moment had arrived, he could find no words to describe how he felt; perhaps their were none. Effervescent, incandescent, possibly, or more simply: joyous. "I love you, Emily."
He leaned up to kiss her, a slow, lingering kiss to seal the promise of forever, and then pulled back to slide the ring onto her finger - a simple thing of pearls and jewelry wire. "I know it's not much, but diamonds are in short supply on the island."
Emily laughed. "Pearls were far more common in my time in any case. You could not have chosen better." As every woman since time immemorial had done, she extended her hand away from her to admire her ring in the strong sunlight. "Nothing could be dearer to me than a ring given by your own hand."
"Nothing?" Matt teased her, then stood to lift her - rather unceremoniously - into his arms and spin her around like the children neither of them had ever been. "Not even me? Or the children we're going to have? How many children will we have, love? Do you want girls or boys?" And now effervescent did seem the proper word, because he couldn't stop grinning.
She'd never seen him like this and couldn't help the little shriek of laughter as he lifted her. Emily kissed him soundly, though she could not stop smiling even for that. "You are the dearest of all. And any children will be as well." How many? What an astonishing thing to ask when five minutes ago she'd never thought to have any children at all.
