April 2002- Lubec, Maine

Abby is awoken around 6:30 by a loud banging noise down the street. She knows she can't go investigate the noise just yet. Even living in Sail Rock (they chose Sail Rock to live in on purpose because it has the earliest sunset in the United States) she knows she must stay inside until at least 7:45 p.m. She rolls over to see if Owen was awake yet. She looks over at his face to see he is still fast asleep. She smiles and hugs him. If only he knew just how much she wanted to marry him. She thought he had an idea, but he was just waiting for the perfect moment. She recalls asking him a few times if he planned to ask her soon, but every time his answer was the same, "Of course I am. I just need to figure out the perfect time and place." The perfect time and place? Doesn't he know I don't care where he asks me? she would always think. She wanted to tell him, but she didn't want to spoil his planning. Knowing Owen, it would be the most beautiful proposal in the history of the world. He would make her feel like she was the single most important girl in the universe.

She laughs at the thought playing in her head. She leans over to kiss Owen's cheek. When her lips touch his skin, as if it were a reflex, Owen reaches up and grabs her face. She's shocked at first, but relaxes when he rolls over to smile at her.

"Good morning, beautiful," Owen smiles. Abby smiles in return. "You're up early, aren't you?" he says suspiciously. Abby chuckles.

"I heard some strange banging down the street. It kind of startled me," she admits.

"You could've woken me up if you were scared, you know. I would've woken up."

"I know. You just looked so cute and peaceful sleeping. I didn't want to disturb you," she's always so respectful to others while they were sleeping. Never wants to disturb anyone no matter what's wrong. Owen thought to himself. He chuckled. Abby gave him a strange look as if to say "what's so funny?" He looked into her blue eyes and told the truth.

"You wouldn't wake me up if there was a burglary and the guy had you at gun point, would you?" he laughed. She chuckled with him.

"Nope. Probably not," she laughed harder. "I'd just say 'my husband is asleep so try to be quiet.'" She was still laughing, but she noticed she was the only one. She looked over at him. He wasn't even smiling. "I'm only kidding. You know I'd wake you up." He still wasn't smiling, though. She immediately knew why now. "Oh Owen." She sighed and laced her fingers through his.

"I'm sorry, Abby. It's just... well the word husband took me by surprise a bit," he admitted.

"You don't want to marry me?" She seemed hurt.

"Oh Abby, you know I do! I promise I will. You know that. Look down at your promise ring. Remember? I promised I'm yours forever." He picked up her hand and kissed it. She smiled. "Whenever any guy hears the word husband, it just shocks them. No matter how much they want to get married. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." He took her face in his hands and kissed her sweetly. She smiled again, happy that he wanted to marry her.

She looked at the clock on the nightstand. It was 7:20. Her smile widened. Owen followed her eyes to see what she was looking at. He smiled this time.

"I should probably get dressed now," he said. Abby laughed. She hopped off the bed and walked over to her closet. Owen watched her walk over. Abby chose to sleep in only a small tank top and panties. Owen smiled and chuckled. She turned around to see that he was staring at her.

"Owen. You are such a guy," she accused.

"I know. I'm sorry, but you're just so damn perfect," he said seriously. Abby shook her head knowing full well that she may have been perfect in his eyes, but in her eyes, she was some type of monster. Owen relaxed back onto the pillows. "I hate to watch you leave..." he quoted.

"...but you love to watch me go," Abby finished as if she could read his mind. He laughed but remained in their bed for a few more seconds before getting up and going over to where Abby was looking through her clothes. He wrapped his arms around her tiny waist and kissed her cheek while resting his chin on her shoulder. She smiled.

"I don't know what to wear today," she contemplated. Owen looked around searching for his favorite shirt of hers. Then he remembered something he bought.

"Close your eyes," he commanded. "No peaking. I'll be right back!" He ran into the living room in only his boxers. He hadn't had his chance to get dressed yet. He found the present he had gotten her a few nights ago. No special occasion. He just thought she might see the humor in the present like he did. He fetched the gift and ran back to their room.

"Did you peak?" He teased.

"No sir," she joked.

"Okay. Well a few nights ago when I was out looking for a movie, I found something I think you might like. I liked it. When I saw it, I cracked up," he started laughing. "So you can open your eyes now."

She opened her eyes to see a beautifully wrapped gift. She gasped.

"Owen! You didn't have to," she didn't want to open it. The wrapping itself was art. She forced herself to get over how gorgeous it was. She unwrapped it slowly with Owen chuckling in her ear. When she finished unwrapping it she saw a white shirt nestled in the paper. She pulled it out and unfolded it. When she read what it said, she burst out laughing. Owen joined in. On the white shirt two words were written in black ink. "VAMPIRES SUCK." There were little red blood drops dripping from the word "SUCK." Abby could not stop laughing. She loved the irony of those two simple words.

"Will you actually wear this?" Owen wondered aloud.

"Of course I will! It's amazing. Thank you so much," Abby said as she kissed him. Owen wrapped one of his hands around her waist as the other knotted in her long blonde hair. She knew what he wanted, but she was hungry.

"Owen," she said when her lips were free. "Owen I need to feed first." He looked at her and nodded. Honestly, he needed to feed, too.

After Abby was dressed in her new shirt and a pair of old shorts and Owen in an old shirt and a pair of shorts, they sat down to eat. Or rather drink. On today's menu was day old type AB blood from a young man in the wrong place at the wrong time. He had crossed paths with Abby in a dark back alley. She pretended she was lost. He tried to help her, but when he turned to look for her "parents," she attacked. When Owen finished his drink, he pulled out his beloved grape Now and Laters. Even though he was a vampire now and didn't like the taste of human food, he never lost his love for Now and Laters. Abby would suck on them from time to time and when they started to get soft and chewy, she would spit them out.

"Now and Later?" Owen offered Abby.

"Sure. Thank you," she kindly accepted. She sucked on it for a good five minutes until it became chewy. Owen was already finished with his and he knew Abby was about to spit hers out. He stood up and, like a gentleman, pulled out her chair. She smiled and stood up to walk to the trash can. After she spit out the candy, she looked into Owens eyes and smiled. He seemed confused. She nodded, but he still didn't understand what she was trying to say. To make him understand, she took her shirt off and walked over to him in only her bra. Owen clued in and smiled. Abby wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. She could feel something poking her leg.

"Is that the Now and Laters or are you just happy to see me?" She laughed. He chuckled a bit embarrassed. She helped him take his shirt off and guided them to the pull-out couch. It stayed pulled out just because Abby thought it looked cooler. She laid down and pulled Owen on top of her. He looked into her eyes and smiled.

"Need some help?" He offered, unhooking her bra at the same time. She smiled, but was a bit nervous. She knew there was no reason to be, but every time they made love, she found herself becoming nervous. "Abby, don't be nervous. It's okay." He smoothed her hair down.

"I know," she said. She reached down to help him get rid of his boxers. She must have touched him because he moaned very softly. She started laughing. Owen just smiled. Abby threw his boxers on the floor. She took her shorts off, too. The last step was for her to get her panties off. That was always the part where she started breathing hard. She wasn't sure if it was from nerves or excitement. Owen decided to be creative in taking them off today. He moved his mouth down her leg and grabbed the side of her panties with his teeth. Her breathing sped up. She knew there was no reason to be nervous. It didn't hurt after their first time, but it's as if she was expecting some pain. Owen threw her panties on the floor by his shorts and boxers. He came back up to kiss her softly, yet fiercely. She responded the same way. One of his hands was resting on the side of her leg. He took it and ran it up the front of her leg until he reached her spot. He started rubbing very lightly just to warm her up. She started to feel the familiar pleasure rise in her like a tidal wave. She started moaning and panting. He could feel her bucking up and down a tiny bit. Owen loved making her feel good. When he knew she was close to exploding, he pushed himself in her. She squeezed her eyes closed preparing for the pain she once felt.

"Abby, are you okay? Do you need a break, sweetie?" Owen was worried he had hurt her. She was out of breath, but forced her answer out.

"I'm fine, I promise. Keep going," she urged him. She didn't want him to stop so he kept going. With every thrust, she moaned louder. He could feel her clench around him with every thrust. He knew she was on edge. He reached down to rub her one more time and, as if on cue, they exploded together. Abby held Owen close and kissed him over and over again. She kissed him all over his face and neck.

"I love you so much, Owen," she told him. She was holding his face in her hands. He placed one of his own hands over hers. Hers seemed so delicate compared to his.

"I love you, too, Abby. And..." he hesitated but wasn't sure why. "I promise I will marry you if it's the last thing I ever do. I'm sorry it's taking so long for me to propose. I'm just making sure everything is absolutely perfect. You deserve to have the most beautiful proposal ever," he sighed "the most beautiful proposal in the world for the most beautiful girl in the world. It's perfect." He was still on top of her, so he rolled to the side and onto his elbow to look into her crystal blue eyes. He played with her hair while she thought about what he said. She had this certain look on her face when she was thinking over something and Owen absolutely loved that look. When she had that look on her face, her head was slightly tilted to the left while her mouth was opened slightly in a tiny smirk. Owen saw her making the face and smiled hugely.

"Owen... I'm not b-" he pressed his finger to her lips and cut her off before she could say anything else.

"Abby. You. Are. Perfect. You are absolutely beautiful and if you don't see that, it's okay. I see it. To me, you are the most beautiful girl in the entire universe, Abb. I would do anything for you." She knew this was true. Owen tells her how beautiful she is everyday over and over. It was still amazing to her that he kept telling her. When Owen looked back at her, he saw a tear roll down her cheek. He looked at her clearly confused. She looked at him and smiled.

"I've never thought I was beautiful, Owen, but when we are together like this, I feel invincible. It's all new to me, but it's amazing," she confessed. He smiled and kissed her cheek where her tear was perched. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it tight. He put his arms around her and turned on the TV to their favorite sitcom. They laughed while they cuddled together, intertwining themselves as much as possible. This was the episode where the two main characters of the show got engaged. Owen had studied this episode in particular very carefully. The main guy, Jack had taken his fiancee-to-be, Amy, to a concert for her favorite band. Jack had won front row tickets on the radio. He had also e-mailed the band's lead singer to ask if, during Amy's favorite song, he could go up on stage and propose to her. The singer pulled them both on stage, let Jack propose, then played Amy's favorite song. Owen thought it was cute, but not right for Abby. It did give him some ideas, though. When Jack proposed, Abby smiled.

"That's so cute. What a unique idea," she commented. Just then, as if stuck by lightning, Owen had the most amazing proposal idea. It wasn't a concert, but he knew Abby would absolutely love it. Now he just had to put it in action. He already had her ring. She hadn't seen it yet which made Owen smile. Abby looked over at him suspiciously. "Owey? What is it?" She, too smiled. She knew why he was smiling, but wanted to see if he would answer or just keep the secret.

"Nothing, Abby. Don't you worry your pretty head. I just had a major brainstorm is all," Why am I telling her? he thought. She can't know. "I mean I just had an idea," Dammit, Owen, shut up! She can't know yet! He continued to argue with himself while Abby sat there and stared trying to contain her giggles. He looked at her and laughed.

"Arguing with yourself again, huh? Owen, you crack me up. It's okay. Don't tell me. I'll wait. I know what your brainstorm was about and that's all I need to know," Abby loved surprises. She had ever since she was a little girl. She remembered a long time ago when her parents were still alive. They would always tell her not to peek when they stuffed her birthday presents at the top of the closet. Not once did she get the urge to peek. What's the fun of spoiling the surprise?

"You know what it's about, do you? Ok, humor me," Owen pushed.

"It's pretty easy to guess, Owen. You're trying to figure out how to surprise me."

"Well duh. You don't know what the surprise is for, though."

"All I know is it's going to be amazing," she snuggled closer to her lover. He smiled satisfied that she didn't know anything more about why he was surprising her. Nor did she know how or when. He wrapped his arms around her tighter. Abby sighed happily. "I wish I could just stay right here with you for the rest of eternity. Never moving from this spot. It's amazing." Owen kissed the top of her head. Abby got the sudden urge to make love again, but she decided to just watch their favorite show instead. She remembered when they tried for two times a few months ago. It was just as amazing the second time, but Abby didn't want to spoil this moment she and Owen were having. Laughing at the characters on the television and relaxing. It was just too good to waste. Plus she knew they could make love later that night or tomorrow. For some reason, she couldn't stop wondering how Owen was planning the proposal. She knew that was the surprise, but she decided to keep it to herself. Besides, she didn't know when or how he planned to.

Owen was planning out the proposal in his head as they watched TV. He desperately wanted to propose tonight because it seemed like Abby was more than ready. Plus he knew she wanted to make love again. The thought crossed her mind. He could read her facial expressions so well. He knew she'd had the urge a few minutes ago, but decided against it. She would rather watch TV and cuddle. Owen felt the same way. Tonight, Owen. Just do it tonight. She's been waiting long enough. The first time she ever mentioned the words "marriage" and "proposal" and applied it to their relationship was over a year and a half ago. Since then, one of those words was said pretty much every day. As much as it would bother most guys, Owen really liked hearing her say them. It let him know she really and truly wanted to be together for all eternity. Okay. Tonight it is. It has to be done tonight. Don't chicken out, Owen. You want this. She wants this. You know the plan. Do it. He convinced himself that tonight was the only option. It simply had to be done tonight.

Abby had been silent for a good ten minutes. Owen looked at his watch and saw that it was 5:30 in the morning. They usually went to sleep around 6:15. Owen looked down to see that Abby had fallen asleep. He couldn't look away. She was so peaceful and so beautiful. She was his little angel. Owen couldn't grasp how she thought she wasn't beautiful in the least bit. It blew his mind. She was too hard on herself. He just wants her to feel as beautiful as she really is. He decided it was time for bed. Ok... it was time for her to go to bed. He had to plan. He carefully picked her up to carry her to bed. They were both still nude, but he didn't care. He'd only slept in the nude a few times before. Maybe it'd become a regular thing. He didn't dress Abby. He didn't want to wake her up. Besides, who else was going to see her besides Owen? After he set her in bed and covered her, he kissed her goodnight and went to find some string.

He tied it in a small loop and measured it around her finger. Perfect fit. He took the string and set it on his nightstand before joining Abby in bed. He set his alarm for 7:30. The sun would be down enough for him to be outside by then. He kissed Abby once more before falling asleep.

Owen's alarm went off at 7:30. He groggily rolled over to turn it off so he could sleep more, but he felt the string and remembered why he set his alarm in the first place. He sighed and sat up in bed. He looked to make sure Abby's hand wasn't covered up so he could slip on the string. Her left hand was resting on top of the sheets on her leg. Owen grabbed some clothes and dressed quickly. He took the string and slipped it on her left ring finger. He made sure it was secure. Then he set the note he had written her a few days ago on his pillow. He knew every time she woke up, she looked over at his side to see if he was there. He then went outside their window with his end of the string as well as her ring. He took a few deep breaths to calm his nerves and lightly tugged the string so it would wake her up.

Abby felt a tug on her finger and woke up. She looked down to see a string on it. Confused, she rolled over to search for her lover, but all she found was a folded note. She unfolded it and read it aloud.

"Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night. Look out the window, my dear Abby," she read. She looked to her right out the window and saw Owen perched on the balcony. He was wearing her favorite blue button up shirt. He only wore it for special occasions. He smiled and waved at her. She waved back. He smiled, took his finger, and wrote on the frost coated window "Abby... Will you marry me?" Abby felt a tear roll down her cheek as she smiled.

"Yes!" She yelled so he could hear. She didn't notice the window was cracked. Owen threaded the ring onto the string and slid it down the line with enough force to make it reach her finger. Abby was in shock. She slid the ring on her finger as Owen made his way back inside through the window. He ran up to Abby and picked her up in a enormous hug spinning them in circles. She was smiling and crying while they hugged and kissed. Owen started crying too which made Abby smile even wider.

"Owen! That was amazing. Absolutely perfect. How did you come up with the string idea?" Abby was still in shock.

"I saw a commercial once where this girl had string tied to her finger to wake her up. I just thought it'd be better than a concert," he told her, tears still rolling down his cheeks. She smiled and wiped away his tears. She kissed him again and he held her close. It was only then that she realized she din't have any clothed on. In this moment, it didn't bother her. All she cared about was Owen.