[Their Vows.]
«If you told me I am dreaming, I'd quite fall for it. Because so much joy can't be kept in a small heart like mine...»
[Prologue.]
Our story continues another year after the previous events that took place in Saint Mystère. These months have passed briefly and swiftly as a soft breeze in summer time for Flora's now shiny perspective.
The happy group conformed by her, Clive, the four-stomach Luke and the Professor have been living a quiet and happy ever after, after the few dramatic scenes there and here from the past that were now nothing else than a far-off memory.
Flora, now a 20 year olded woman, had taken her growth as a risk at first, since she was quite scared of that. But now, just a few months away from being a year older, she felt nothing but scared. She was taller, almost as tall as the Professor, and her longer hair was still tied in her characteristic ponytail and classic bow. She had got used to wear different kinds of clothing, such as shirts and shorter skirts, and even jeans. Nonetheless, the inner appearence was the same: sweet, caring, a little bit moody, but maturer now. Her eyes now shone with a different spark, full of experience and caring she desired to share.
Clive, who's birthday had been a few days ago, is now 24. His appearence hadn't changed as much as his girlfriend's, since he was still kind of childish and he still laughed when Luke exchanged Flora's perfume with lemon juice mixed with water; her face was just priceless. Although, he was now a little bit more caring and cautelous with his actions - well, everybody was when it was Flora's 'day of the month' when she only wanted chocolate ice-creams and silence - due to many experiences. He still lived from his fortune, but due to many inversions in economies and a few enterprises he hadn't grown into a spolied man and he gained a considerable amount of money.
The always respetable Professor and his hat hadn't gone to separate ways and he still had his mysteries here and there - in which he carried Luke with him. That usually left privacy for Clive and Flora - and he had always come back safe as always. He hadn't changed, not that he wanted to... Nobody did anyway. He still portrayed his always adecuate manners and a serene soul inside, not caring if it seemed extremely annoying for some people.
In fact, the one that had experienced less changes within his personality and usual hunger was Luke. He had grown a little bit, so the Professor usually let him prepare his coffee - asuming the risk of dying of innocent intoxication - and get him to asume bigger responsabilities. He had enabled a strong friendship with Clive and a deep caring towards Flora, who found it more like «something I'd rather not to talk about.» thing. What is to say, she found him too caring for her unusual dislike.
Everybody was living their happy ever after.
Although there was a concrete event that pushed the «happy ever after» concept further. It took place, concretly, a cold day of setting winter, in November.
Flora was at home quietly drawing some silly drabbles on her beloved notebook while the Professor and Luke were on their way home from college and Clive was out doing things. She didn't know what were those 'things' that Clive talked about so excited sometimes, not that she really cared about it now.
She snuggled deeper into her white blanket.
Her knee-length skirt wore the colours of the Chinesse flag - white, red - and some black on the waist. It seemed like the designer had used his last gathers of knowledge of international flags, since the Chinesse flag only used red and white colors, not black. Her embroidery blouse had a strange mix of colours too: pink on the neck, black again on the main part, green short sleeves. The colours didn't match; it looked more like they were having a raw to get more attention. Her thick shocks where spicy pink, with some purple on random places.
It wasn't the best of her oufits, she knew, but she didn't like thinking too much about what she was going to wear.
She sighed and let her tiny feet tingle a little bit on the red divan's edge. She was sitting, mid-lying on it, looking at the cold winter outside, only separed from her by a drop stained crytal layer, which she found really cold since the house was warm inside.
The house had been cleaned by her recently, with knowing effort and respectful caring. The big sofa, placed in between two cozy armchairs, had had its usual blanket bended on a couch's arm; but Flora decided that it would be more useful covering her legs than there. The rectangular table now shone to the lamp's light, not having tea pots or newspapers on it anymore, which were placed on their correspondant places for the moment. The TV was turned off, and the radio was too. The uncountable number of pictures hanging on the walls were softly cleaned and placed correcly, not leaning to the right or to the left side.
The kitchen had now impolute white tiles, a cleaned table and shinning surfaces. The bedrooms; soft blankets and courtains were free to be used. The bathrooms were usually impolute, so it really didn't need any cleaning or whatsover. Her work was done in 4 hours, 27 minutes. She was proud of her masterpiece, but really tired.
That's what her dear notebook is there for.
'It's incredible that I can't draw a simple tree nicely without making it look like a 5 year old drabble. It feels like-' she let out a frutrated grunt, frowning with growning annoyance.
'This pencil would be useful as a dart instead of a pencil. It's old, but it is very small...'
She got up with her dear blanket wrapped around her small body and walked towards the nightstand just by the stairs, where there was a not-too-big amount of pencils, pens, rubbers and a few sticky notes, most of them from the Professor.
She started reading a few of them, just stopping in a very curious pair of them:
«TTD [Things To Do.]: Go to Frabett Jewelry -Clive.»
'Frabett Jewelry? He must be getting Ariana's necklace from Luke...'
«TTD: Buy lots of matchsticks -Clive.»
Flora only rose an eyebrow.
«TTD: Colour each of my sticky notes with a spicy yellow ink -Clive.»
Well, that was exactly why she had seen them on the first place. Nice try, Clive.
«Go to the Bus Stop, behind the Great Forest -Clive.»
Flora titled her head, not knowing if that was a task for himself or her. She didn't see the 'TTD' remark, so she asumed it wasn't exactly a task...
'May he have forgotten to write it...? But I guess that he shouldn't need a prefix to remember it is a task, then it would have been useful to make a difference between tasks and... A possible date. He may be inviting me to go, so I should...'
"Who cares?" muttered she under her breath. She was his girlfriend, she had the right to know each of his steps and movements each hour per day!
Okay, that sounded possesive. But still...
Flora tied her brown boots and got her thick beige coat to prevent her from catching a severe cold or phulmonia. She got her keys, kept them in one of her coat's pocket and got out, not forgetting a purse.
The chilling temperatures made her need to get a bus - also, because Clive 'had told her' to go to a bus stop - so she wouldn't get very cold. The bus arrived luckily a few seconds after she had gone out. Not feeling as cold as she should, she paid the driver with some pocket money she had on her pockets.
"Where to?" asked the woman.
"Great Forest's Bus Stop, please." the driver looked at her stranged.
Flora sat at the back of the red bus, trying her best to avoid talking to herself due to the number of people there, which was only the driver and her. While the bus drove towards the 570 Road and outside the city center. She observed the backround with fast eyes, because it drifted away from her sight since they were going really fast.
This was proved when they arrived to the Great Forest just 10 minutes later and 5 minutes earlier than expected. The driver opened the backdoor and Flora went down outside, feeling it close inches behind her, not to let the warm inside go out, she asumed.
She felt inmensely cold out there, now wondering if it was a really good idea after all.
She only saw a man nearby, who she found a little bit scary to her sight and perspective. He was kind of old, little bit encorved and small, she observed.
The old man started walking towards her direction. Pushing down her fears, she walked towards the Forest's entrance, the first one she found, in fact.
Their tracks crossed and, with a swift move, the man stole Flora's wallet and started running towards the forest again, leaving Flora behind.
But she noticed it incredibly fast "Hey, wait!"
She ran with graceful movements through the dark forest, only seeing the silouette of the thief running away for dear life. Strangely, the man was looking clearer the more they ran, so she could easily catch him. When he was totally clear and almost visible, she jumped aiming to catch him like a furious cat.
She landed face to the ground, with a loud sound.
Flora scratched her head and looked up, just to see her wallet a few meters away from her reaching. She got up and kneed to get her wallet.
Flora looked up; she noticed she was on the clear spot of the forest. She then heard steps, and turn around to be sure if it was reality or utter imagination.
Her right feet noticed something under it "Huh?"
She kneed once again and held the object to the moonlight. Curvy side, then a stick...
No doubt, it was a matchstick.
'A matchstick? What the-' she then felt a paper on her leg and, picking it up again, she held it up to see the writing within the contrast of the moonlight and the paper.
«How may you see in the dark with a matchstick? Burn it and use its light. It would be prefered to be held down towards the Thames.»
Flora shivered 'This looks like a quest from the own Joker...'
She wondered how to light up the matchstick and suddenly remembered how her beauty issues were always important. She took out her previously stolen wallet and, with precision, took a out a nail file. She had the urge of making her nails look presentable.
Flora then started to look for the Thames cardinal point. She remembered that the local weathercast had said that the wind would go towards the Big Ben, perpendicular to the Thamesis course. Thank God she had seen it with Clive that morning.
She scratched the match against the raspy surface. Nothing 'C'mon!'
As pleaded, the matchstick lighted up and produced a soft light and a feeling of warmess inside Flora's heart. She then looked at some running leaves, following wind's orders towards the Thames. As that, she knelt and, following the Joker Fan's orders, proceded to pass the matchstick with slow moves.
'What can I do now?' then, contact. She felt an scratching sound, as another matchstick crashed hers. Suddenly, a miracle took place in front of her eyes.
Flora admired how a long track of thousands of matchsticks, one in front of the another, lit up the one after another, leaving a light track that looked artificial to her sight. She smelled something.
'Gasoline?' the girl asumed that the person behind this wanted to clear the path for her. She mouthed a word:
"Thanks."
She walked steadly through the now iluminated forest as she felt a little bit colder each second that passed. It was quite ironical, but she was fine with that.
That was when she realized that she was going straight towards the Thames when she heard the Big Ben's clock sound louder and louder to an hour before midnight.
She saw the forest's end and ran to it.
Flora looked at the views; she was standing in a small portion of land between the Thames and Great Forest, having the river meters away from her. The Big Ben, national item for London, was iluminated by the street lights, far away from her. The London Eye was stopped, maybe because of the coldness.
A cough.
Flora snuggled into her coat, waiting for something, or someone. She felt alone, very, very alone 'What am I doing here?'
The brown-haired girl shivered 'Was this really Joker's doing? I mean, did he want me to catch phulmonia or something?'
Flora felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her, and she froze for a second, not knowing who was behind her. She breathed in the crispy but sweet air around her.
Sweet? "Clive?"
He unwrapped his arms and walked round to her "Hey!"
She charged towards him and punched his chest "Why did you organize this entire scheme? Do you know that a creepy man almost attacked me? Eh, eh? DO YOU HATE ME THAT MUCH?"
Clive only laughed and hugged her "Don't exagerate - he only stole your wallet-"
"How do you know that?" asked Flora's curiosity against Clive's defense.
"Oh, I l-love you too!"
She broke the hug "You tell me now or I will make you tell me."
He grinned innocently and laughed "Let's forget it, shall we?"
"Oh no, oh no, no, no!" exclaimed Flora.
"Sweetheart, forget it." said he somehow stressed.
She smirked "I have debility for that nickname, you know it better than me. But it's not going to help you."
He sighed "Tell me... Why did you bring me here? So detailed, that mysteriously..."
"It would have been a surprise if Luke was patient enough. But we both know that Luke princks himself with a syringe full of sugar every morning." he gripped her shoulders as she laughed "In fact, he was the one who stole it for fun. It helped though."
"I see..." trailed she out "But why did you do this?" she widened her eyes "Is it our aniversary or something?"
"Not at all. In fact, theorically, we've been together for... I don't know how much. I don't care about that."
She looked at him confused "Then?"
He coughed uncomfortable with the situation he was in.
Clive adjusted his tie and crossed his fingers unnoticebly behind his back "Don't think I didn't think this through, because I have... A lot actually."
"Clive, you are scaring me." said she with a spark of fear behind her soul.
"Don't be afraid! This is... Good, at least it is for me." babbled he nervously.
She titled her head.
"Flora, do you remember how did we meet each other?" asked he. Flora widened her eyes and chuckled.
"Don't you remember?" asked the brunette "It was on your London human-scaled copy."
"Good memory you have. Exactly, when?" asked he.
"13th of April, 2010..." muttered she inconsciently.
"Really, this isn't an exam, calm down..." laughed he "But yes, it was exactly like that."
"So what? It happened 3 years ago." said she with stranged attitude.
"That I wanted to make you notice that, since that day, I've been the happiest man of the world." Flora smiled.
He walked towards the river, leaving Flora behind.
"You know, after I got to know you, I quite regretted having the idea of kidnapping you. I started to develop a fond caring towards you, and without noticing it, I saw myself thinking about you everytime - I know, I was a fool and I am still a fool." he sighed "But, at the time of the truth, I started realizing the real reason of taking you away..."
"Which was it?" asked she quietly.
"I knew that the Professor would try something risky and he'd instantly leave you behind. If you stood there, you'd have got hurt; I only wanted to keep safe."
She smiled "Go on..."
"Then, what made me tremendly sad was when I put you in that crystal space. I saw your dissapointment, the fear, and the worst of it was that you thought that all we went through that weeks... Was a lie, all a lie."
"I thought that, indeed." said Flora.
"I had the urge of stopping everything, leaving the project aside... But I knew that love wasn't going to make me change my mind. Then, I instantly knew that I had called the Professor because I knew you would be there; I had read all of your profiles and I knew you'd chase them."
"I undoubtly had knowledge of my mind's games, trying to keep you and me safe, but leaving the others behind. I judged them all, as they did with me. It wasn't fair, but they weren't the kindest with me. Suddenly, I remembered that the Professor had saved me once, from dying to rescue my parents. But I got to know all of this too late, because I had launched the projectiles and had already destroyed a entire street of innocent people. I felt really guilty, but the Professor saved you before anything, and once I saw this, I felt instantly relieved. When he and Claire saved me, it really touched me and I saw how kind he was and the amount of unkindness I had shown towards him. I saw that I had been the worst of all."
Flora let her breath go, having held it for minutes of revealing speech.
"When I got down, I was desperate to see you. But when I finally saw you, I saw Luke's hand around yours and his steel glance towards me, forbidding me of any physical contact with you. And that deception in your eyes... I was glad I got to let all my stress out before the cops took me away from all for you. I prefered that than seeing you so dissapointed. I was happy they took me, I really was."
He sighed deeply and looked at her.
"Clive... I am glad you told me, but really, was this for something?" said she carefully.
He chuckled "We both know I didn't say this speech just because I needed someone to hear me; I know you'd be there."
"But I won't be," said she firmly "unless you don't tell me what's going on."
Clive shook his head "I love you, Flora."
She widened her brunette orbs "Well, it's not usual to hear that from you - I love you too."
"I only wanted it to be clear for you when you need it."
"What do you mean with that?" said Flora gulping.
She cupped her mouth with both hands as he got on one knee and took out an obsidian colored small box, "Flora Reinhold, will you marry me?"
She felt lots of feelings crashing with each other: nervousness, joy, enthusiasm, worry...
The only thing she worried about was that she may not be a good wife for him. Who knows? She was, after all, a maniatic girl.
"C-Clive," spoke she with running tears "Of course I will!"
Like that, once he put the ring on her finger, she hugged him so tightly that he would have sworn Flora would make him die of suffocation. But it felt more like a very strong-gripped hug full of love than that, so he hugged her back with the same enthusiasm.
"You don't know how happy I am right now, sweetheart."
"More or less," giggled she "I can tell I am happier..."
He let out a light-stressed laugh "You'll always be happier than me."
Just on the other side of the Thames, Flora saw, from Clive's shoulder, how a thunder of fireworks exploded in the night and starry sky.
From that moment, second and minute, Clive and Flora knew that it would be a point to be remembered from then on.
Or well, that's for destiny to choose.
[Author's note]:
I think I've improved a lot since the last time I wrote these kinds of fanfics. Soooo this is a prologue.
So, these are the rules;
~This goddamn story took me so f*cking long. Really. I have been busy with lots of things.
I'd totally find it awesome if you supported this piece o work (maybe full story.) I've had a good experience, but I'll ask for, at least, 15 reviews.
It's not that I like reviews, which I do, but I don't write stories if anybody enjoys it.
In case this happens, I won't upload the next episode when I can. I've got many other stories to upload right now. Maybe, the more reviews I get, the more faster I write. I'll try to finish them each two weeks or so.
«I want to know any kind of ideas you have. My creativity ain't have been filled magically~»
EDIT- I personally didn't find this veeery good. I hope you guys like it. I found the last part really rushed in. I'm a bad person, I guess (?
Kisses from Spain,
Freezie c: