"Oh, Tex! Yes!" My eyes welled with joyous tears that choked my throat and kept me from saying anything else.
He smiled broadly and put the ring on my finger. His hand was shaking. "Sorry. I was more nervous about your answer than I was when I had my head in a noose back there." The ring was beautiful and sparkled gently from the fire's glow.
I fell to my knees and embraced him, being careful not to accidentally touch his shoulder. The tears flowed freely now as I clung tightly to the one thing I wanted most but came so close to losing.
I finally brought myself to release him for a moment and looked him straight in his eyes. Before I knew it my lips were pressed against his for one blessed moment. The entire universe seemed to stop and wait for us to share our precious unit in time togehter.
It didn't last long, because Chance and Dalton returned and were ready to leave.
Tex looked and me and gave me his jacket. I hadn't realized I was only wearing my bra. I smiled at my jealous fiance and put it on.
Chance sat down and gave me a big grin. I held up my hand to show him the ring and he nodded. He was busy applying branches to his leg and pretended not to notice us as we continued our lip embrace.
When they were ready, we split into pairs. I helped Dalton walk, which wasn't easy. He was a big boy--probably a football player in high school. I immediately saw his relation to Louie. Tex and Chance helped each other out, and the four of us limped and hobbled our way to the speeder. I'm sure the FBI agents thought we were an interesting bunch. Tex was still wearing parts of his executioner's constume and I had on the remains of my punk attire. I was barefoot, having abandoned my heels sometime before the explosion, and was gingerly walking through the wood with big Dalton against my shoulder.
All our injuries were attended to as we were flown directly to the US. We arrived at a hospital in San Francisco several hours later. Dalton and Chance were taken care of and sent home, but Tex had to stay overnight because of his shoulder. I stayed with him the entire time. He slept mostly, and I thought about what the future would hold for us. What other cases would we encounter? Could it only get worser? What colors should I choose for the wedding?
I had a lot of questions but only two answers, both of which I held in my hands. In one hand, I held Tex's arm, and with the other, I held a very nice check from the FBI. I had nothing to worry about. I decided to let life do its thing and just play along with it.
The next day we paid a due visit to the Brew & Stew. Louie was thrilled to see us and even more excited at the news of our engagement. Even Rook, who was playing chess at a nearby table, seemed happy for us. Or maybe he was just happy I said yes so Tex wouldn't ask for a refund on the ring.
The future is still uncertain, but it's bright. And we're happy! I couldn't ask for anything more.
The End
(Congratulations! You have reached the author's intended ending. You can go back to 1 if you are interested in reading Tex and Chelsee's other possible fates.)