Prelude
Disclaimer: I don't own W.i.t.c.h. or any of the characters.
Time Period: Six years after the end of the second season.
"Vandom's gaining! She's gaining! Olsen better watch his back!" Will yelled as she bounded through the fluffy, moist sea of snow. She ducked under an oak tree, savoring the wetness on her skin as it cascaded from a low, gangly branch and landed on her cheek. All she needed at the moment was this: the gentle frost, the caress of the afternoon sun on her skin, a sensation of frivolity, and a boyfriends versus girlfriends snowball fight with Cornelia and Caleb.
The "girlfriends" team currently had the upper hand, a fact Will blissfully acknowledged as she continued to sprint after a weary Matt. His gait was dwindling, his feet almost slipping against the snow. One wrong move and he would plummet to the ground like a freefalling lurden. Then she could pelt him with snowballs to her heart's content.
Using this as motivation, she took the last of her rushed steps and smirked when she halted directly behind him. Will's grin spread to her eyes as she dove onto Matt's back, laughing while he emitted a feeble cry of "Oof!" and a groan punctuated by "Willll!" His posture was hunched, but his feet were still firmly planted on the ground as the smaller girl clung to him, her grip on his abdomen restrictive.
"Don't whine. It'll only make it worse!" Will suddenly slid off him, her black boot clad feet dipping into the snow with a faint crunch.
"I'm doomed," Matt sighed.
"More like doomed to be annihilated." Will grabbed a handful of snow, molding it into her weapon. Beside her, Matt rolled his eyes and took deep breaths, not making a move to escape. After twenty minutes of raucous, tiring play, he didn't mind being subjected to more of her antics. It didn't hold much bearing, for he had formed his own plan of retaliation. He self consciously studied his ebony coat while he waited, giving the pockets a tug and straightening it out.
"Revenge is a dish best served cold!" Will hollered energetically. She chucked the snowball at Matt, watching as it struck him in the middle of the chest. He winced at the sting in his torso, backing up a few feet to dull the impact of the next missile.
Matt dodged the next three, jumping out of the way as they rocketed towards him. His breathing gradually returned to an even pace and he picked up some of the powder, shaping it into a ball and hurling it at her. Her eyes widened momentarily when it hit her middle and then she heaved another snowball at his neck, giving him his comeuppance.
"And that's why you don't mess with Will Vandom!" Will smiled haughtily.
"Uh huh, right. Keep telling yourself that." Matt retorted, throwing another snowball at her shoulder.
"Just for that you're gonna get it twenty times as bad!"
"I'd like to see you try."
This provoked Will and she hurled fistfuls of snow at her boyfriend, darting after him when he careened into the stretch of land that extended beyond the Hales' apartment complex. The two flung the chilled bullets at each other as they dashed through the flurry paradise - some struck their targets and others missed. Residual snow rained down upon them while they sprinted, causing them to chortle and smile.
The fight became increasingly competitive when they stooped beneath a series of pine trees, where the frost was extremely wet. There they flung copious handfuls of powder at one another whilst running, not bothering to form it into globes.
"You call yourself a Guardian? Oh yeah, you're so badass. Little Miss Tough Stuff can't even beat her boyfriend in a snowball fight!"
"Uh huh, and you're a great Regent! Can't even take me down like you did the last time. You're not even close!"
"You want me to take you down? That can be arranged."
"Yeah, right! I'll do it first!" With that, Will leaped onto Matt, roughly tackling him to the ground. His head collided harshly with the snow, which had a harder consistency than he expected. He winced, rubbing the back of his lightly damp (and sore) head.
When Will noticed this, she smiled at him apologetically. "Sorry." Her hand moved to the area and she gently massaged it.
"Don't sweat it, Will. It's not that bad." Matt's eyes drifted shut. He relaxed, loving the sensation of her fingers stroking the tender spot. Will may have had a penchant for roughhousing, but her sweet demeanor compensated for any pain she inflicted. He continued to savor this for a few moments and opened his eyes, gazing up at her and grinning adoringly. She smiled back, flattening her body atop his and finishing the massage with one last rub.
Matt took the tender act as a sign and he began to scan his surroundings for an ideal location. His eyes quickly settled on a snow mound. The hill was a few inches away from their canopy of trees, appearing to be two feet high, which would provide them with privacy. The sun streamed onto the snow, making it glisten like white gold. The setting would be perfect for his revenge. Letting out a tentative sigh, he reached down and squeezed her hands, coaxing her to look at him. She did so with a triumphant beam. "Give up yet?"
"Maybe," he smirked, "now can I get up?" He gave her fingers another squeeze.
"Sure," Will said hesitantly, curious to see if he had something up his sleeve. She released him and stood, following him when he rose and led her to the knoll.
Once there, Matt grabbed Will by her waist, backing her up against the hill. Now it was his turn to tackle her. He lifted her off the ground in one fluid motion, chuckling as she kicked his knees. Sneering, but also feeling his heart race, he let her slender frame dangle over his shoulder before carefully settling her at the bottom of the slope. He lay down on top of her, trapping her between the snow and his warm body.
His breathing must have been a little too hurried because Will sensed his nervousness. She shot him an inquiring look and then smiled devilishly. "Cat got your tongue, slick? And what happened to taking me down?" she said in a dry tone. The way her fingertips dawdled along his cheek told a different story.
"Uh, I did."
"That's it? Don't end the game, you sore loser!"
"I'm not."
"Then let me up."
"That's not gonna happen, Will," Matt said candidly, fighting to keep panic out of his voice.
"What's up, Matt? Why're you acting so funny?"
Evading the question, he pressed his forehead to hers until she sighed resignedly, slipping her arms around his back. After easing his head away, he forced a grin onto his face, trying to keep his breathing steady. His heartbeat seemed to increase tenfold as he gazed into her beautiful, warm, and familiar eyes. He thought he felt sweat trickling down his forehead. There was a sensation of a steel bar pressing down on his stomach, making it feel heavy and constricted.
His glance froze on the snow beneath him. He took a few moments to regain his composure, inhaling and exhaling deeply in an attempt to put himself at ease. When he felt as relaxed as he possibly could, he looked back at Will, still quivering in fear. She must've noticed this because the smug grin returned to her features. "I knew I gave you goose bumps, Olsen, but they're never this bad." She ran her fingers over the raised areas on his neck.
Matt let out a skittish laugh and scratched his head. He took another steadying breath. A determined visage stole over his face. Confidence suddenly possessed him, making the weight in his stomach disappear. He gave her a benign look and softly stroked her cheek. He smiled when a sigh of contentment escaped her lips. "Hey, Angel, I have a secret for you."
Will beamed at his words, expecting the usual proclamation of love that would follow. "Out with it. What is it?" she paused, her eyebrows narrowing in confusion when he unzipped his coat pocket and withdrew something square shaped. Will gasped quietly when she realized it was a black velvet box. Tears of joy beaded in her eyes as Matt opened it. She quickly swiped the wetness away with her coat sleeve and stared down at a simple white gold band, admiring the medium pear shaped sapphire in the center. A group of small diamonds branched off of either side of the gem. The sunlight made the stones glint, casting azure and clear rays onto the shimmering snow below them.
"Are… are you – " she started, her words trailing off out of shock and elation. It took her all of the effort she could gather to look away from the jewelry and peer into his eyes.
"I want to kick your butt in snowball fights for the rest of my life and keep you from burning down the kitchen," he let out a breathy, good humored laugh. "I love you, Will. Marry me?" Matt extracted the ring from its cushion, took Will's left hand in his, and carefully slipped the band onto her finger.
The response he received caught him off guard. Will snaked her arms back around Matt and tackled him into her former spot, this time being gentle and mindful of his minor injury. She lowered herself on top of him, cradling the back of his head with one hand and bracing the other against his shoulder. Then she was kissing him tenderly, her lips gliding languidly over his. Matt felt one of her tears fall to his cheek and he brushed the moisture away from her skin with the pads of his thumbs, returning the kiss.
No longer than a minute later, he pulled away from her and supplied her with a questioning look. Will felt her lips curve into an expansive smile. "I think you know my answer."
"Say it," Matt said, grinning and feeling excitement course through his body.
"Yes, Matt, I'll kick your butt in snowball fights for the rest of your life."
He shook his head, laughing. "No. Say the magic word," he murmured into her ear, smiling again.
"Awww, do I have to?" Will pouted jokingly.
"Yes."
"Fine by me. Or should I say 'yes'?" Will winked, tugging his face to hers. They resumed their gentle kissing, both of them feeling buoyant and euphoric. "It's about time," she muttered against his lips, smirking.
"You could've done it. It would've taken off a lot of pressure," his laugh was nervous.
"Guess I didn't think of it," she admitted, shifting into a sitting position and staring at the inlaid gems. The colored dots continued their idle ballet below her. They glided over the pristine ground, dancing onto the skin of her wrist and then the subdued purple sleeve of her coat. "It's… sweet that you did it." Sitting beside her, he took her right hand in his, but her focus lingered on the vibrant sapphire. It seemed as if the waters from the local pier had been entrapped in the stone. This made her wonder… "Real or manmade?" Will held her hand in front of her.
"Real. The rings with the genuine stones were cooler. They suited you better."
"Did you get help?"
"Yeah. Good thing, too. I was really lost. The guy who helped me asked about diamonds as the main gem and I said those were a no go. Figured you wouldn't like them since you tease Cornelia about hers. Then he asked about your birthstone and we started looking for sapphire rings. It took us a while, but we finally found that one."
"It's very cool. And beautiful." Will leaned her head on Matt's shoulder.
"Just like you." He pressed a kiss to her hair. She snuggled up to him, freeing her hand and weaving her arms around his mid-section. "What do you wanna do for the wedding?" he questioned.
"I don't really care. I want it to be simple. And I don't wanna be the center of attention. It's annoying. Mom'll want to invite all of her extended family, and people I haven't seen for years or even met will be oggling at me, pinching my cheeks…" She winced as if Cedric had just injured her in battle.
"Not if I can help it. I'll kidnap you and keep them away from us. We'll stumble all over the dance floor."
"Hey, that's my fiancé you're insulting! You're not that bad. You were good at school dances. Better than Martin. He looked like Caleb when he was getting his "groove on." They were like monkeys on crack. You… You're smooth." She winked at him and gave him an encouraging smile.
"I've stepped on your toes before." Matt blushed.
"Same here. It's called an accident."
"Fine. You win."
"I always do." Will and Matt sank into peaceful silence. She plunked down in his lap, nestling her head in the crook of his neck and inhaling the scent of his musky aftershave. He held her at the middle with one arm, while the other was raised so he could run his fingers through her hair. They both smiled, becoming lost in their own world and cuddling in the snow. Matt broke the silence several minutes later, remembering that they'd been separated from their friends for a long period of time.
"We should go back. Cornelia and Caleb are probably wondering where we are."
"No they're not. Blondie and rebel boy are either eating snow or eating each other."
"Thanks for the unnecessary visuals." He shuddered.
"You're welcome," Will said in a cheeky tone. Then, as she stood and helped Matt to his feet, an idea formed in her mind. She took one final gaze at her ring and buried her hand in the pocket of her snow pants. She gave him an appreciative smile. "Actually, I like the diamonds. They're pretty," she said graciously, "and different from what Corny has. Hers are just so… Cornelia. Too fancy shmancy."
"What do you expect? C'mon, this is Cornelia we're talking about. But we love her… I think." Matt smiled knowingly and winked. His eyes shifted to Will's concealed hand and then back to her face. He raised an eyebrow in question. "What's the deal with that?"
"You'll see," she said evasively, burrowing her hand deeper into the polyester. "We should switch up the teams and nail them with a surprise attack."
"So, couple versus couple?"
"Uh huh."
"All right! Count me in," Matt enthused, pumping his fist in the air. That was shortly followed by a cry of…
"Let's get 'em!" Will sprinted away from the now sacred hill, Matt trailing after her. They bounded through the snow until they reached the center of the Hales' yard, the spot where the two teams had originally split. Not seeing their rivals, the pair set off, this time walking stealthily as opposed to running. They crept onto the side that had formerly been occupied by the "boyfriends" team, their eyes darting past the lush pines that were scattered throughout the landscape.
This continued for a few minutes, and when Will was least expecting it, Matt gently nudged her in the side with his arm and pointed to the left corner of the yard. Will froze beside her fiancé, looked in the direction that he was indicating, and smirked when she saw the hot pink of Cornelia's coat, a color that made her "stick out like a sore thumb" as she had told her earlier.
Cornelia, it seemed, had given Caleb a run for his money. He was in the process of hurrying away from her. He jumped over a fallen tree branch and skittered in the direction of Will and Matt, his girlfriend still gaining on him. The two exchanged conspiratorial glances, silently deciding with nods that they would attack when Cornelia and Caleb were about to pass them.
The other couple continued their chase and was in front of them in a matter of seconds. As Cornelia dashed past Will, she threw the older girl a puzzled glance. "What are you doing? Why aren't you getting Matt?" she asked incredulously, her eyes wide. Her pace slowed a little.
"Will! Look out!" Matt called, diverting her attention from the blond. Will spun around on her heel and jumped away from his incoming snowball just in time. She watched as it hit its proper target in the arm.
"You're so going to pay for that, rocker breath!" Cornelia taunted. She followed through with her threat, succeeded with a blow to Matt's thigh, and then set off after Caleb.
Matt took advantage of their newfound seclusion, turning to Will and trying not to leer as he took another glance at the lump of her pocketed hand. "Does this mean I get to drive?" He bit his lip in restraint, fighting the urge to tease her or laugh.
Will narrowed her eyebrows in confusion, her expression quickly transforming into one of arrogance when she realized what he meant. "Are you kidding me? We're still gonna kick butt. I might be missing a hand, but I have quintessence." She winked. Matt laughed and gave her a quick high five, following after her when she started to run. It didn't take them long to catch up with Cornelia and Caleb, who were continuing their antics at the center of the yard. They walked to a discreet stop, halting inches behind Caleb.
Sneering, Will picked up some snow, formed it into a ball to the best of her ability, threw it, and whispered, "Quintessence," under her breath. The snowball remained suspended in mid-air, following Caleb as he moved to evade one of Matt's blows by whirling around. Now the older boy was facing her, and the white orb shifted to the front of his face, continuing to dart back and forth with his motions. His brown eyes tracked it in a semi-bemused daze for a second. Then he shot Will a glare.
"If you know what's good for you you'll let that drop, Vandom."
"Why would I wanna do that?"
"So you can avoid an ass whopping," he smirked, "now let it drop, carrot top!"
"Oh, wow, you rhyme, too! So intimidating! Is that any way to treat your sister?"
"Yes, it is."
"Aw, really? That's too bad." Will snapped her fingers, grinning smugly as the snowball slammed into his forehead. Caleb grumbled, hastily brushing the snow off his face with his sleeve. She retreated, knowing that his retaliation would be equally as bad. As she ran, she passed Matt, who was currently at a disadvantage and being pummeled by Cornelia.
Deciding to intervene, Will changed courses, heading straight for the blond. She picked up fistful after fistful of powder with her available hand and began aiming rapid-fire at her friend, briskly returning Matt's smile of thanks. After a while, Caleb located them and joined in, resulting in all out snow brawl. The two couples' tactics became as mindless as Will and Matt's had been earlier and they resorted to flinging snow in the direction of their opponents. There was the occasional tackle or two, something that Will cautiously evaded by scampering away from the group and then back again once they had finished.
A half an hour later, the pairs settled themselves on the ground, exhausted from their antics. Will was resting her head on Matt's shoulder again and Caleb had his arm around Cornelia's waist. The latter was currently in the process of gloating over her triumph, making her typical scathing remarks.
"I hope you two weren't under the impression that you'd win. No one beats a rebel leader and the Earth Guardian," Cornelia said, her voice haughty as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"And your powers helped you how, Cornelia?" Matt retorted, folding his arms over his chest.
Cornelia's lips parted. She twirled another stray lock of hair around her finger, searching for the right words, anything to get back at him. "You – You – Grr!"
"Don't think too hard, Cornelia, it might kill the minimal brain cells you have left." Will, who was now inexplicably calm, laughed fervently at Matt's comeback, burying her face in his coat.
"AT LEAST MY OTHER HALF DIDN'T HAVE TO RESCUE ME, YOU KLUTZ!"
"Aw, c'mon, is that all you got? You can do better than that! You are the Earth Guardian, after all. And I could've demolished you without Will's help."
"As amusing as this," Caleb cut in, "I'm curious about something." His three friends looked at him expectantly. He met their glances before shifting his gaze to Will. "What's up with your hand?"
"Oh!" Will exclaimed, remembering that she had a plan to fulfill. "You sure you wanna know?" she asked with a smirk, raising her head. Her response was nods from her two friends and a perplexed look from Matt. It morphed into one of knowing and he beamed, the smile making his eyes narrow. "What's up with my hand is this!" she said, her voice sly as she furtively extracted her hand from her pocket, holding it out in front of her.
Cornelia and Caleb closed the distance between themselves and Will, huddling around her and staring at the ring. "Matt proposed?" Cornelia exclaimed in disbelief, her eyes wide.
"Yeah." She nodded, a grin returning to her face.
"When?"
"Earlier. When we were going after the boys." Cornelia squealed and wrapped Will and Matt in an unexpected, bone-crushing hug. Will eased her arms around the blond, patting her back, and gagging slightly as her friend squashed her neck. "Corneliaaaa, you're killin' me," she gasped in a strangled voice.
Cornelia released her with a broad smile, placing her hands on her hips, her eyes sliding over to Matt. "It took you long enough!"
"Yeah, yeah, I know all about it. Will told me the same thing."
"Congrats, man." Caleb thumped Matt on the shoulder. "Good luck with her. Tough girls are the worst marriage material."
"Uh, thanks?"
"Like you know! You haven't even proposed to me yet! Why don't you get a clue from Matt?"
"Shut it, Caleb! You won't have room to talk after you marry her."
"How about everyone shuts up?" Matt said firmly, providing a voice of reason to the hostility. The venomous expressions abated from the girls' faces and Caleb chuckled.
"Take it easy. I was joking. Seriously, Matt, congrats. You, too, Will." He patted her shoulder and reoccupied his seat next to his beau.
"Let me see the ring again!" Cornelia said with ardor, her lips curling into a wide smile when Will sighed, whipping her hand out for her surrogate sister's critical eye. The Earth Guardian stared at the sapphire, her mouth agape. "Who knew Matt had such good taste?"
"I'm right here, Blondie. Or have you forgotten because your head is filled with rocks?" Cornelia overlooked his insult, still entranced by the ring.
Feeling an utter air of calm settle over him, Matt crooked an arm around Will's waist and kissed her temple. He lowered his lips to her ear and whispered to her. "Wanna do this every year for our anniversary? Have a snowball fight with these idiots and hang them out to dry?"
Will played along with the act, in spite of the fact that it would never happen. "Sure. We can have breakfast with Mr. and Mrs. Hale, you can hang out with Lilian, and then we can squash Corny and Caleb like the worthless bugs that they are," she whispered back as Cornelia returned to her spot.
"Sounds like a plan." Their lips met in a slow, minute long kiss and it took a significant amount of willpower not to break away when their rivals began mocking them.
"Looks like Romeo and Drooliet are enjoying themselves," Caleb snickered.
"Eww! Gross! Was that Will's tongue? Sooo didn't need to see that! I think I'm gonna have nightmares tonight."
"I'll hold you when you wake up screaming."
Will withdrew from Matt and curled her hand into a fist. "Both of you shut it or die!"
"Oh please, we'll kill you first, shrimp!" Cornelia jeered.
"Not if I can help it!"
"Here we go again," Matt sighed, letting out a dry laugh. He drew Will to him so that her back was against his chest. She calmed instantaneously, a feat that held no bearing for him. Sometimes all it took was an embrace to ease her into a state of relaxation. She turned in his hold, her gaze latching onto his. Will looked at him with love in her eyes, a look that he returned before they both sank into bliss, blocking out Cornelia and Caleb, and focusing on the present as well as what would come in the future.
Author's Note: First off, this piece is entitled "Prelude" for rather self explanatory reasons. This story is the beginning of Will and Matt's new life together.
Second, Yeah, I know, I went with the cliche of the man proposing. My reason behind this? Will initiates all of their kisses in the animated series. She's very eager when it comes to showing her affection and I thought it'd be nice to tip the scales in Matt's favor and have him initiate their engagement. However, I can see it going either way since Will is very feisty, and the idea of her proposing is also very in character, so I'm going to write another fic in which she proposes to Matt. :)
In case you didn't catch it, Matt's proposal in the snow is symbolic. Hopefully you know that WillxMatt have had some big coupley or shippy moments in the snow during W.i.t.c.h., including their first kiss, so I wanted to give their engagement some meaning and draw from the past.
About the WxM kiss at the end... I'd say judging by "S is for Self" (and "Z is for Zenith," but I'm discussing "S" in particular) that Will doesn't mind kissing Matt in front of her friends. Their kiss in this story was deeper and Will, yes, shamelessly (and absentmindedly) slipped in a little bit of tongue towards the end, only to have Cornelia catch it - much to her displeasure. So it wasn't quite a hot "make-out" kind of kiss. If Will wanted that, she'd tug Matt aside and give him just that.
Yay for mouth action in my fics! XP If it ever seems like an overload, I apologize, but I feel as though we didn't see enough of these two kissing in the animated series. That doesn't mean they should've been all over each other like eels twenty four seven, but I wouldn't have minded another kiss between these two. I think they're fairly affectionate with each other when they're alone, but not to an extreme. Same goes when they're around the other couples. Again, they wouldn't be like eels.
Also, CorneliaxCaleb were a blast to write. I enjoyed writing their dialogue immensely, and it was nice to change things up and show Will and Matt's playful friendships with these two. =D