You Belong To Me

Chapter Twenty-Three

(Two weeks later... Emma's wedding reception.)

Belle sat alone at a table in the packed reception hall. She picked at the piece of cake in front of her, but did not eat it. The dance floor was filled with wedding guests dancing to YMCA. She had secretly hoped that YMCA was a tradition only popular at American weddings, but was sorely mistaken.

She had done everything in her power to enjoy herself the past two days, but could not get Shawn off of her mind. His awkwardness had continued throughout the past two weeks, and she still could not figure out what was wrong with him. He still professed his love for her each and every day, but he was definitely hiding something.

Belle sighed deeply and took a sip of her champagne. She hated the taste of the stuff, but it was another wedding tradition. Someone pulled up a chair beside her, and she heard a familiar voice.

"Don't look so sad. This is supposed to be a happy occasion, Miss Black."

Belle turned and saw Tim looking at her with his usual crooked grin. "Tim... I figured I'd run into you eventually."

Tim nodded and took a sip of his own champagne. "Well, I do so love weddings... I'm glad to see that you could make it."

"I almost didn't... But, my niece was born a little earlier than expected, so here I am. I'd show you pictures, but I left them in my suitcase."

"I'm sure she's beautiful..."

"She's perfect... absolutely perfect..." Belle smiled and took another drink of her champagne.

Tim raised his eyebrows and pointed at her champagne glass. "You hate champagne, Isabella..."

Belle nodded and stared at the glass in her hand. "Yes, I do... I thought it might help ease my mind, but it's just giving me a headache."

Tim reached forward and took the glass out of her hand, placing it on the table in front of her. "What's wrong? If you're drinking this, then something is wrong."

"It's probably nothing... Just me being silly and insecure. Nothing that I want to talk about."

Tim nodded slightly and grabbed her hand. "Well, then... Stand up and get out on the dance floor with me."

"Tim... I don't know..."

Tim stood and playfully pulled her up with him. "No arguments, just do as I say... You're not going to sit here in the corner moping for the rest of the night. This is a party, remember?"

Belle nodded and begrudgingly followed him to the dance floor. Tim wrapped one arm around her and held her hand in the other. "You look more beautiful than ever, you know..."

Belle smiled at him and blushed a little. "And you... you got your hair cut."

"Yes, quite often in fact. Usually every six weeks. It's crazy, I know... but, my mother likes me to do it."

"Don't be a smart ass... You know what I mean."

Tim grinned at her and spun her around once before pulling her close to him. "You left out the part about me being as rakishly handsome and as irresistible as the day we met."

Belle laughed and playfully smacked his arm. "Yeah, yeah... Whatever you say. You must have forgotten the day we met, because you were wearing that awful sweater that I hate and you ran over me with your bicycle."

"And yet... you still fell in love with me..."

Belle rolled her eyes and grinned at him. "Yes, somehow..."

"So, how has life been treating you lately?"

Belle paused and looked into his familiar blue eyes. He was just as handsome as she remembered, and part of her heart ached because she still felt guilty for never being able to love him the way that he deserved to be loved. Tim raised his eyebrows at her, waiting patiently for her response.

"Life is good... I have a good job, I'm back with my family, and I have a brand new niece... Things are great. How about you?"

Tim shrugged slightly. "About the same as usual. But, I do miss you... A little less now than I used to... But, I think about you often."

Belle sighed softly. "I'm sorry, Tim... I really am... And, I do miss you too. What we had... it will always be special to me."

"I could have made you happy, Isabella..." Tim averted his eyes away, trying to hide his feelings from her.

"I know... But, I would have made you miserable. You know that it's true... I just wasn't able to give you the love that you truly deserve. You deserve someone who can give you a hundred percent of her heart, and I just couldn't do that. I'm so sorry..."

Tim nodded and forced a slight smile. "It's alright... You're just not an easy person to get over."

Belle smiled and hugged him closely. "Thank you... And you, you're going to make some woman extremely happy someday... I just know it. You're an amazing person, Timothy, and you will find somebody who can make you happy."

"What about you? You mentioned your great job, your family and your niece.... But, no new man?"

"No, not a new one..." Belle paused and licked her dry lips slightly.

Tim pulled back and raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Shawn? He finally came to his senses and realized what he threw away?"

Belle smiled and shrugged. "More like, I did... I almost threw him away again, but thank God, I had some sense knocked into me."

"I'm happy for you, I really am."

"You are?"

"Of course I am. That's all I want for you... I want you to be happy, no matter what. And, from the way that you used to talk about him... I have always known, deep down, that this Shawn fellow was the one who could make you happy."

Belle nodded in agreement. "You're right... And, I want you to be happy too..."

"I am happy. I have a great life, Isabella. I really can't complain."

"You know... You're the only one that calls me Isabella all the time... And, I don't mind it at all."

Tim winked at her slyly. "It's the accent... You told me once, a long time ago, that an English accent could make anything sound good."

"Well, I was right... You should really come visit me in America some time. You would make all the girls at home swoon with those eyes and that voice."

"Maybe I should... My gentlemanly charms haven't done me much good here, maybe I should try to work them on the American girls."

Belle nodded enthusiastically. "Well, if you ever need a place to stay, feel free to give me a call. I really do want to keep in touch."

"Then we will..." Tim paused and then looked at her seriously. "And, if this Shawn ever does anything to hurt you, I will hurt him."

Belle grinned at him and nodded. "I know, I know you will. But, I hope... I mean, I think it will never come to that."

The song ended and Tim began to escort Belle back to her table, as he responded quietly. "I know, but I just wanted you to know I've got your back."

They reached the table and Belle smiled appreciatively at him. "I know, and thank you..."

Belle felt a wave of tiredness overtake her and she grabbed Tim's wrist so she could check his watch. She dropped his hand and looked up at him. "Wow... I've barely taken a moment to rest since I left Salem... I think I'm ready to go home and get these extremely uncomfortable shoes off."

Tim nodded in understanding. "Do you need me to drive you?"

"Oh no, I'll be fine... I've got a rental car outside, and my parents' apartment isn't too far away."

"So, you're not too tired? You haven't been drinking too much?"

Belle waved her hand to reassure him. "Oh, I'm fine... You know that I never drink too much... I promise I'll drive safely too."

Tim smiled and hugged her again. "Okay... I trust you."

Belle released him and smiled. "Take care of yourself, Tim..."

"You too, Isabella. And tell that Shawn Brady he's a lucky bastard."

Belle laughed and nodded. "I certainly will."

Belle smiled at him one more time and grabbed her purse off the table. She hurried to find her rental car and head back to the apartment, for a little rest and relaxation.

***

Belle stood on the outside steps to the apartment building and looked to the second floor window that belonged to her parents' apartment. She paused in confusion when she saw a strange glow shining through the curtains.

"That's weird. I thought I turned all the lights off."

Belle bit her lip in confusion and shivered as she wrapped her arms around herself. Not only did she not recall leaving a light on, she had also forgotten to bring a sweater to keep her warm. She had forgotten how cold London could be at night, and now she was paying the price for it.

She felt a cool gust of wind hit her and she quickly ran up the steps and into the building. Belle ran up the stairs to the second floor hallway that led to the apartment door. Each floor held only one residence, so it was just a short hallway with one door. Belle caught her breath at the top of the stairs and noticed that her hallway was lined with pink rose petals.

Belle stared at the ground in confusion and sighed. "What the heck..."

She gingerly stepped over the rose petals and turned her key in the door. She stepped into the living room of the apartment. It was mostly dark, except for some strategically placed candles throughout. There was soft music playing on the stereo, but the room was otherwise empty.

Belle shouted loud enough to reach all corners of the apartment. "Shawn Douglas Brady! This better be your doing!"

Shawn came in from the kitchen with a wicked grin on his face. He was carrying a small bouquet of pink roses, and Belle stepped towards him so he could hand them to her.

Belle took in the scent of the fresh roses and a large smile spread across her face. "What in the world are you doing here?"

"I know how much of a drag weddings could be... So, I wanted to do something to make your day a little more fun... and romantic."

Belle threw her arms around him and squeezed tightly. She pulled back far enough to kiss him quickly. "I'm so glad you're here... This is the best surprise I've ever gotten."

Shawn nodded and grinned at her. "Well, there are more surprises in store, so don't start ranking them yet."

"When did you plan this? How long have you been keeping this secret from me?"

"I thought of it the night that Lorelei was born. When you mentioned about going to London, I thought this would be a perfect way to plan a romantic surprise."

Belle gasped in shock. "So... All that crap about working on a case for your father... Lies, lies, lies."

Shawn smiled and kissed her on the forehead. "Not necessarily lies, just misdirection. I am working on a case with my father, but nothing that could keep me away from this. I didn't think you would mind a little covering up."

"You were right... This is so sweet of you to show up here and plan all this." Belle motioned around the room that was filled with candles, flowers and romantic music. "But, how did you plan this?"

Shawn took her hand and led her to the sofa. They sat down together so Shawn could fill her in on the details. "Well, I talked to your dad... He gave me the extra key to the apartment, and helped me book a flight to London so that I could get here and set all of this up while you were at Emma's wedding."

"Remind me to thank him later."

Shawn nodded and pulled a green bottle out of the bucket of ice on the coffee table. He poured two champagne glasses with the sparkly liquid and handed one to Belle. "It's not champagne, I promise. I know how much you hate that stuff. It's actually sparkling apple juice."

Belle chuckled and took a sip out of her glass. "So, you did all of this for me? Flew thousands of miles and planned all of this? Thank you..."

"I would do anything for you, Belle... I love you."

"I love you too... This is just the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me."

Shawn grinned at her and held up his glass. "And, I hope it's just the first in a long line of wonderful things I plan on doing for you."

Belle nodded and tapped his glass with hers. "I will toast to that anytime... You really know how to sweep a girl off of her feet, Shawn Brady. Candles, romantic music, flowers... If there's a pint of Ben & Jerry's in the freezer, you're a bonafide romance expert."

"There just might be... You'll have to wait to find out." Shawn stood and brought her up with him. "Dance with me..."

Belle raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Right here in the living room?"

"Yes, right here. Right now... I like the song that's next on this CD, and I want to dance with the woman I love."

"Did you make a CD for this occasion or something?"

Shawn nodded and grinned at her. "I pilfered all of the romantic music I could from everyone I know... I wanted all of this to be just right."

Belle smiled and they moved away from the sofa, so they could hold each other closely. The song that was playing ended and they danced slowly to the next song on the CD. Belle laid her head on Shawn's chest and sighed as she felt his warmth surround her.

***Your face
I'm still not over
Your face
Headlights break thru the rain
Over London's winter light
I came all the way here tonight
To look in your eyes
I came all the way here tonight
Just to see you***

Belle lifted her head and looked up into his eyes. They were the same eyes she had loved her entire life. She always felt safe, warm and loved when she looked into them, even in her darkest hours.

***Your face
Holds me over
Your face
It wipes away the rain
With a hundred summer skies
And every time I talk to you
It's like I'm all right
And every time I talk to you
I get a little closer to light

You are the face
That heaven has shown me
When I needed someone
Someone to love and stay
You showed me
The quiet kind of love
Behind your face***

Shawn smiled at her and kissed her on the forehead. "Belle... I can't even put into words how I feel about you. It's like... our entire lives have been leading up to this moment. I need to be able to tell you how I feel, but no words can do that for me."

***Your face
Let me show the world
Your face
All the stars and suns above
Are jealous
Of it's light
You steal the sky away from them
Bring it aside
You steal the sky away from them
Bring it to light***

Belle smiled back at him and nodded in understanding. "I know, Shawn... But, you don't need to say the words... I can tell. I know it in your touch, and your smile, and your eyes... And, I hope you know that I feel the same way."

***'Cause you are the face
That Heaven showed me
When I needed someone
Someone to love
Your Face
You showed me
The quiet kind of love
Behind your face***

"Belle... I know, I do know. But, I've been wracking my brain trying to think of a way to show you that once and for all, we are meant to be together forever. Every second that we've spent together has led me to one conclusion... You are the only person I could ever imagine spending my life with."

Shawn paused and moved his hand off of her back. It was shaking nervously and he reached into the front pocket of his shirt for something. He pulled out a pink satin ribbon with a silver antique ring tied to the end of it.

**The quiet kind of love
Behind your
Face**

The song ended, leaving them in silence. Shawn dangled the ring in front of Belle's eyes. She stared at him in shock and lifted her hand up so he could lay the ring in her palm. It had intricate Celtic designs on the sides, and a beautiful diamond stone set in the middle.

"Shawn... it's beautiful..."

"My grandma, Grandma Caroline, gave it to me a few years back. My grandpa gave it to her as a gift for their first anniversary. It's been in the Brady family for a long time, and she gave it to me so that I could someday pass it on to the woman that I love. Of course, she also sort of stipulated that the woman who receives it should be you."

Belle chuckled, but kept her eyes on the beautiful ring. "Your grandmother is a wise woman."

Shawn nodded in agreement. "Yes, she is. And, she was right. I've been holding on to this for three years, waiting for the day that I could give it to you. And, I know that this may be too soon to do this, and you may get really mad when you hear what I'm about to say... But, I can't go another day without telling you how I feel..."

Belle looked up at him and wrinkled her eyebrows with worry. "Shawn... What are you trying to say?"

"What I'm trying to say is that I love you, and every time that I think that I can't love you more, you do something that makes me fall more in love with you. I've felt this way for my entire life, and deep down, I've always known that you're the one I'm meant to be with. I know it from the very top of my head to the very bottom of my feet. When I think about my future, I don't even want to try to imagine it without you. I want to have the kind of life that I've always dreamt about. And, that life includes having you as my wife, and someday having children of our own, and grandchildren. I want to grow old together, and I want to be there for every single moment of your life, good or bad."

Belle could feel her eyes begin to well up with tears and she tried to speak but was unable to. Her tears were not of joy or sadness, she was crying because she was profoundly touched by what Shawn's words meant to her. Shawn smiled at her and wiped a lone tear off of her cheek with the tips of his fingers.

He took a deep breath and continued. "I want it to be just like this always. When you cry, I want to be the one who wipes your tears away. I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy, making you smile, making you laugh... That's the only thing I've ever wanted."

Belle nodded and attempted to smile through her tears. "That's what I want too, Shawn..."

Shawn nodded and suddenly dropped to one knee. "Then I know what I have to do."

Belle's breath caught in her throat as Shawn clasped her hand in his. He covered her palm with his own, his grandmother's ring pressed between them.

Belle tried to stop him before he could speak by waving her other hand. "Shawn... don't..."

Shawn shook his head, he would not be deterred from saying what he wanted to say. "Don't stop me, Belle. I have to do this. This ring... It's not just a token of my love for you. It's supposed to represent our future together. You mean more to me than any other person in my life, and I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I know that you said we shouldn't rush things, and I'm not trying to... It's just these thoughts have been swimming around in my head for a few weeks now. You asked me so many times what was wrong, and nothing really was... I was just trying to figure out how to do this. You are my heart, my soul and the love of my life. I can't live without you, and believe me, I tried to do it all those years we were apart. That's why I'm asking you..."

Belle shook her head and her free hand flew to her mouth in fear. "Shawn... Don't finish that sentence, please... You know what will happen. We talked about this in Greece."

Shawn looked away from her and sighed. There was an awkward pause, until he turned back to her, more determined than ever. "I know what we talked about... And that's why you have to let me finish. I am asking you to marry me, but I'm not asking you to give me an answer."

Belle looked at him with shock written all over her face. "You don't want me to answer you?"

"No, I don't. You said in Greece that you didn't want to be asked that question until you could say yes to it. I'm asking you the question, but I don't want an answer. If the answer is yes, then by all means, feel free to tell me that. But, if the answer is no... I want you to take this ring, and keep it somewhere safe... And, when the day comes that you can say yes to me, you put that ring on your finger. It's a promise of my commitment to you, and when you're ready to do the same, you'll let me know."

Belle sniffled slightly as more hot tears began to roll down her cheeks. "Shawn... I'm so sorry... I want to say yes... But, I'm afraid... I don't know why, I wish I could give you a good reason, but I can't."

Shawn stood and wrapped his arms around her. "You don't have to... I know that you feel the same way that I do, Belle... You're just not ready yet, but you will be someday. And, I will wait forever if I have to."

Belle looked at him and made her best attempt to smile. "I hope you don't have to wait that long. Forever is awfully far away."

"It doesn't matter... I'm always going to be here."

Belle nodded and wiped her cheek with the back of her hand. "I do love you, more than anything... I really do."

"I know... And, you don't have to be sorry for anything. Everything is going to be just fine."

Belle smiled, this time for real. "I'm going to go take a moment and take care of the sobbing mess that I've become... I'll be right back."

"Okay... I think I better change the CD, this one is over..."

Belle let go of him and walked down the hallway to the main bathroom. She shut the door behind her and turned on the lights. Belle went to the mirror and stuck her tongue out at her reflection.

"Oh yuck, Awful, awful, awful..." she muttered to herself.

Her makeup was smeared, her eyes were red and there were tracks down her cheeks from the tears that she had shed.

She could hear the familiar lyrics of a song from a long time ago coming through the bathroom wall. Belle sniffled slightly, wondering why this song would seem to haunt her for the rest of her life.

***See the pyramids along the Nile
Watch the sun rise from the tropic isles
Just remember, darling, all the while
You belong to me***

Belle laid the ring on the counter, quickly washed her face, and blew her nose. She turned to exit but then quickly turned back to grab the ring. She paused for a moment, untied it from the ribbon and decided to slip it on to her left hand, just to see how it looked. Belle smiled as she held her hand up to the light. Shawn's grandmother must have about the same size hands as she does, because the ring fit perfectly onto her tiny hand.

***See the marketplace in old Algiers
Send me photographs and souvenirs
Just remember when a dream appears
You belong to me

And I'll be so alone without you
Maybe you'll be lonesome too***

Belle glanced sideways at the reflection of this now adult woman. A woman who had been in love with Shawn Brady since before she was even old enough to understand what true love was. He had always been there, to hold her hand when she needed his support, to make her laugh when all she wanted to do was cry, and to love her when she most needed it.

***Fly the ocean in a silver plane
See the jungle when it's wet with rain
Just remember till you're home again
You belong to me

And I'll be so alone without you
Maybe you'll be lonesome too***

She stared at herself in the mirror as a strange realization began to cloud her thoughts. She knew now why she was afraid of the future, and she also knew why she shouldn't be. Belle smiled as she looked at the ring on her finger once more.

***Fly the ocean in a silver plane
See the jungle when it's wet with rain
Just remember till you're home again
You belong to me***

Belle took a deep breath for courage and held her hands behind her back as she went back in to the living room. Shawn was standing near the CD player but turned when he heard Belle's footsteps on the wood floor.

"Shawn... I need to explain a few things to you..."

Shawn nodded and turned the CD off. He walked closer to her, but they did not touch. "You don't need to explain anything... I understand what you're going through..."

"No, I do need to explain..." Shawn motioned for her to continue and Belle attempted to smile at him. "It's funny, you know... Most girls dream their whole lives about getting married, and I always thought that when the right man asked me, I wouldn't hesitate to say yes. You are the right man, Shawn... There's no doubt in my mind about that... But something was keeping me from saying yes. It's fear. There's this little part of me that's afraid to change the way things are now. Everything is going so well, and I'm afraid that if we change things and get married... I'm afraid it's all going to go horribly wrong. Maybe it sounds stupid..."

Shawn shook his head and laid a gentle hand on her arm. "It doesn't sound stupid. This is a huge step to make, and I understand why you can't make it yet. And... I'm afraid too, Belle. But, I don't let the fear take me over because I know that I'm going to have you by my side and nothing can change that. You have to have faith. Faith in our love, and faith that no matter how bad things can get in life, we're always going to have each other."

Belle nodded in understanding and smiled at him. "I know... I do have faith in us. But, I'm also a complete idiot."

Shawn looked at her in surprise and raised his eyebrows. "You're what? Don't be ridiculous... you are NOT an idiot."

"No... I most definitely am." Belle paused and bit her lip before continuing. "Look at all of this... You flew all this way, and planned all of this so we could have this perfect night... And, I screwed it all up... I ruined it."

Belle closed her eyes briefly and pressed out more tears. She felt a sob erupt from her throat and Shawn wrapped his arms around. He rubbed her back to comfort her and she wrapped her arms around him in return, but her tears kept falling.

Shawn gently brushed his fingers through her hair and spoke reassuringly. "Belle... It's okay... We can still have a perfect night. As long as we're together, it's all going to be okay. This is all my fault anyway, not yours... I should have waited to give you the ring. I knew that it would end up like this, and I did it anyway. I'm sorry, I should have known better."

Belle moved backwards so she could look Shawn in the eyes. "Shawn... I don't think you understand what I'm trying to say..."

"Okay... What are you trying to say?"

"This is not your fault. You did an amazing thing tonight, and you shouldn't feel bad about that. You bared your heart and soul for me, and there's no reason that you need to apologize." Belle paused and used her right hand to wipe her tears away. "These tears... They're not because of something you did, they're because of what I did."

Shawn's forehead wrinkled up in confusion. "You're right... I don't understand..."

Belle nodded in agreement and continued. "You see... I'm crying because I did something stupid. I'm here with the man that I love, in this romantic setting, and when he asks me to spend the rest of my life with him and be his wife... What do I do? I cry and run to the bathroom. I can't believe I did that. I was in the middle of a moment that I have dreamt about since I was a little girl, and I screwed it up."

"Belle... There will be other moments like this..."

Belle waved her hand to interrupt him. "No, just let me finish... I saw Tim tonight, at the wedding... That should have been my first clue. I saw him, and I was reminded again of why I refused his proposal... I did it for you. I knew that he and I could never be happy together, because I wanted you. Then, I was in the bathroom just now... and that song came on... And, I thought about what you had said, and I tried as hard as I could to think of one good solid reason to say no to your proposal..."

Belle paused, and Shawn waited in suspense for her to continue. "And..."

Belle smiled sweetly at him. "And, I couldn't think of a single one. Oh yeah, I thought of a lot of stupid, unimportant, insignificant reasons to say no... But, then I thought about you, and how important you've always been in my life. Besides my family, you are the one thing that has always comforted me and the one person who has always been there for me. Even when we were thousands of miles apart, all I had to do was think about you and I felt better."

"Even when I broke your heart..."

"You never broke my heart, Shawn. Not really... I just locked it away and never let anyone else get too close to it. I was waiting for you to come back to me to open it again, and now you have. And, for some stupid reason, I keep pushing you away... But, I'm not going to do that anymore. I'm finally going to do the sensible thing..."

Shawn raised one eyebrow, still not catching on completely. "And what's the sensible thing?"

Belle grinned at him slightly. She had always loved the way that Shawn took just a little bit longer to catch on to what she was trying to tell him. "The sensible thing is to take your hand, and whatever road in life that we're on, to take that road together. I've known for my whole life that you and I are meant to be... For the rest of our lives... It doesn't make a difference if we're married or not, we will always be together, right?"

Shawn nodded quickly. "Absolutely... When it comes down to it, it's just a piece of paper, a name change, and a big party... I'm going to be with you no matter what, wedding or not. I would like to be married, but not doing it isn't going to make me love you any less."

"That's good..." Belle winked slyly at him and held up her left hand, his grandmother's ring still firmly on her finger. "Because, I accept."

Shawn's brown eyes widened in surprise and Belle thought he was going to fall over in shock. "You accept?"

Belle nodded enthusiastically and smiled at him. "Yes, I'm saying yes. That's what my explanation was about. I realized in that bathroom that I was being stupid, and I want to marry you. It may just be a piece of paper, but I want it. I want our families to be there and celebrate our love with us. Being with you is the closest thing to a miracle that I've ever seen, and I think we all need to have a big party to celebrate it. I want to be Mrs. Shawn Brady... I want you to be the father of my children someday... I do want the same things that you do, I was just too afraid to admit it."

Shawn burst into a wide smile and squeezed her tightly. He kissed her gently on the lips, and then drew back, the smile still plastered on his face. "I can't believe it... You're actually saying yes."

"I can't believe I ever thought of saying no. I love you, Shawn..."

Shawn kissed her on the forehead and kept smiling. "I love you too... You have made me the happiest man on earth... Not just today... Every day."

Belle grinned and threw her arms around his neck. "Ditto... except... I'm not a man... I'm the happiest woman on earth, in the universe, the galaxy... and on and on and on..."

Shawn chuckled at her and nodded in agreement. "And, I know a really great way to celebrate..."

"You do?"

"Yes... Just go sit on the couch and I'll be right back."

Belle looked at him in confusion, but did as she was told. She sat on the couch with a sigh as Shawn left for the kitchen. Belle happily stared at her engagement ring and nearly laughed out loud. She couldn't believe that the moment she had waited for all her life had finally happened. Worse than that, she couldn't believe that she had almost ruined it because of something so silly.

Belle heard Shawn's footsteps behind her, and he walked around the couch to join her. He grinned wickedly at her and pulled a pint of ice cream from behind his back and handed it to her. He pulled out his other hand, and handed her one of the two spoons he was holding on to.

"Chunky Monkey... Two spoons. Just how you like it."

Belle smiled from ear to ear and quickly tore the lid off. "And I thought this night couldn't get any more perfect..."

Shawn nodded and winked at her. "I had a feeling this would make you happy."

Belle took a bite of ice cream off her spoon and smiled at him. "You know, normally, I would eat this entire thing by myself and not let you have any... But, I do have a wedding to look my best for."

Shawn took a bite for himself and grinned. "Wow... A wedding. It feels like I'm dreaming... I didn't actually plan on you saying yes. But, I'm glad you did."

Belle leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "Me too... But, Shawn... Can you promise me one thing?"

Shawn paused to think about it and asked. "Uhm... That we won't become one of those engaged couples who doesn't talk about anything besides our wedding?"

Belle laughed and shook her head. "Well, yes... But, that's not it."

"Okay... I promise that our life together will always be like this. Happy, and full of love."

Belle smiled, but shook her head again. "Ohhh, that's good too... But, you're still wrong. It's not a huge promise, I just want to make sure that we have a fun wedding."

Shawn licked a bit of ice cream from his spoon and looked at her in confusion. "A fun wedding?"

"Yeah, I know... It's kind of an oxymoron... But, people try so hard to plan these great weddings, and half the time, everyone there ends up bored out of their minds. I want ours to be fun... Kind of like a big party where we all dress up and have a great time... None of that boring overly traditional stuff. Some weddings are..."

Shawn grinned and finished her sentence for her. "More like funerals?"

Belle nodded enthusiastically. "Exactly. I just don't want that for us."

"Then we won't. Whatever makes you happy is what I want." Shawn smiled sweetly at her and leaned forward for a quick kiss.

Belle complied and then snuggled closer to Shawn with a sigh of contentment. She laid her head on his shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her tightly. Belle took another bite of ice cream and quietly pondered their future together.

"Shawn... I feel like there's only one thing left to say..."

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

Belle smiled, finally at peace within herself, and looked up into Shawn's brown eyes. "And they lived happily ever after."

Shawn smiled and pulled her further into his arms, kissing her deeply and passionately. Belle had shared hundreds of kisses with him in the past, but this one kiss meant so much more. It held the promise of a wonderful future filled with ups and downs, but with one constant; their love for each other.

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