Title: Once, Twice, Three Times A Proposal
Author's Note: This idea came to me when my hopelessly romantic heart was being ministered to by a TV show. And then it decided it wanted to be written. However, I have two other post-season 4 pieces that happen before this one takes place. I debated whether I should post it now or wait until I got the other two installments posted (so that they could all be in my nice, little timeline order!). And as you can see, I threw caution and my timeline order out the window and decided (with the help of AlmeidaFluff) to post.
If you have not read But Now and Missing Minor Detail, you may want to (but don't have to) read those first. As I stated previously, this is set after season 4… and I hope you like!
Summary: Tony has a proposal for Michelle
The doorbell rang and Tony rushed answer it. The family was having a get together and his very special guest had arrived.
"Hey" he smiled after he opened the door.
"Hey" she smiled and stepped inside. "Where's everybody?" she asked as he leaned in for a kiss. "I thought I was late."
"You thought you were late?" he said mockingly as his lips bore down on hers.
He tenderly kissed her hello.
"They'll be here" he said after the wet kiss ended.
"Where are Mom and Pop?" she asked, ignoring his snide remark about her lateness as she walked passed him.
"They ran an errand or something" he said as he turned and followed her.
"Did I get the time wrong?" she asked as she looked at her watch and walked further into the quiet house.
While she was prone to be late to just about everything, the Almeidas, every last one of them it seemed, were punctual to a fault.
"Everybody'll be here" he said as he looked at his watch. "At three."
"Three?" she said as she walked into the living room and headed for the couch. "You told me two."
"Did I?" he said innocently as he turned and headed for the kitchen.
"Yes you did" she yelled after him.
Michelle sat down on the couch and wondered if Tony was trying to give her one of his lessons on being on time.
"Sorry about that" he said when he reappeared with two glasses and a bottle of champagne in his hand.
"Tony" she smiled as he walked toward the couch. "What are you doing?
"About to have a glass of champagne with a very pretty lady" he grinned sweetly.
"Are you trying to flatter me and get me drunk so you can take advantage of me?" she giggled.
"I didn't know I had to get you drunk to do that" he said as he sat down and placed the glasses and champagne on the coffee table.
All you have to do is look at me and you can take advantage of me, she thought. Then, for no apparent reason, she burst into a fit of giggles.
"What's so funny?" he smiled as he poured the champagne and stole a glance at her.
He loved seeing her smile and he loved even more hearing her laugh. They had been through hell and back and there had not been any laughter in their lives the last couple of years. But that was changing, that had changed.
When they finally admitted to one another that they wanted a life together again, they fought to walk back through the pain that shattered them, they fought to forgive themselves and each other for the mistakes made and they fought to go back to the foundation, their love, that they found was as steady and solid as ever and build again.
"Nothing" she said as she tried to stifle her giggles.
I'm not about to tell you how easy I am for you, she thought as another fit of giggles attacked her.
"Something's funny" he said as he set the champagne down and reached for the glasses.
"I don't know" she fanned herself. "I have the giggles I guess" she said and giggled again. "Okay… Okay" she said as she took the glass her held out to her and tried to keep the rumbling giggling in the pit of her stomach at bay. "I'll stop laughing now."
"You don't have to…"
He looked at her so tenderly with his heart in his eyes.
She looked at him and saw his tender heart and instantly went from wanting to laugh her head off to wanting to cry her eyes out.
…
…
"So" he said softly. "What is so funny?" he finally asked, knowing that their time alone was ticking by and that the family would be traipsing through the front door in no time at all.
"I don't know" she answered just as softly. "I guess I'm just so… happy" she said as a teary pool began to well up in her eyes.
That made him smile… knowing she was happy.
Minutes passed as they sat there, champagne glass in hand, saying nothing. The quiet reflective moment was one of those extraordinarily special moments between them. Their love, in that moment, was augmenting. Their love, in that moment, permeated the room. Their love, in that moment, became tangible. Their love, in that moment, became more real than it had been just a moment ago. Their love, in that moment, spoke without saying a word.
They did not need to tell each other how much they loved one another. In that moment, it was not necessary. They knew it without a doubt and the assurance of this love, their love, did not require utterances from their lips. All it required was this moment, this quiet moment, this special moment, this quiet, extraordinarily special, tangible moment. This moment between them said more to their hearts than all the 'I love you's put together.
…
…
"Michelle…" he finally broke the still quietness, his expression, his voice turning serious.
And suddenly a cherished memory of this serious looking man popped in her head.
They had been playing a little game of I Tarzan, You Jane and he did not think it fitting that Tarzan slide into home plate before giving Jane a very suggestive jungle jig.
"What would your employees say if they saw you now" she had laughed as she looked up at him jumping up and down on their bed.
"That Tarzan can sure as hell dance" he said, his suggestive jig getting more suggestive.
The image of this man, this suddenly serious looking, serious sounding man doing his very evocative jig stark naked sent her into another bout of giggles.
"Baby, I'm trying to be serious here and you're making it hard" he said, trying to look and sound wounded.
"I'm sorry honey" she tried to stifle her giggles once again, but to no avail.
"You're gonna make me loose the moment if you keep laughing at me."
"I'm not laughing at you, honey" she hooted. "I'm just… laughing."
"You're really killing the mood I'm trying to set baby" he chided her.
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry… Okay… Okay" she tried once again to suppress her laughter.
But for the life of her, she could not seem to do it. And he did not mind, not really. He could sit there all day listening to her laugh. But he had a proposition he wanted to present to her and he wanted to do it right there, right then. He knew that if he just did not do it, right there, right then she would be laughing until the family interrupted their time alone. So with that thought, while she was still in the throws of her bubbly laughter, he set his glass on the table, reached for her and set it on the table, then slid off the couch.
"Tony" she uttered in mid giggled slid. "What…" she stammered as he knelt before her. "You don't…" her giggle turned into a whimper. "You don't have to do this" she whispered, a tear suddenly appearing as he reached for her hand.
He had gotten down on bended knee and proposed to her once. He had gotten down on bended knee and proposed to her twice. While it was a forgone conclusion that they would marry again, she was not expecting and would not even require that he get down on bended knee a third time and propose to her.
He gave her his lopsided grin and proceeded with his proposition…
"The last couple of years have been hell" he began and reached up and caught the tear that was sliding down her cheek. "And it's something I don't ever want to go through again… but I would, if at the end of the day, I'd have you. The one good thing that has come out of all of this is that I know now, without a doubt, that my love for you knows no bounds. When I first fell in love with you I didn't think I could fall for someone as hard as I fell for you. And I thought I couldn't love you more than I already did. But after all we've been through, after all the fights, after all the hurting, after all the trying, after all the forgiving, I love you more now that I ever did. And I'm sure I'll love you more tomorrow than I do today and more the day after tomorrow than I do tomorrow. Now I know what Pop means when he says Mom is the who, what, when and where to his why, that he loves her all the time and everywhere because that's what he was made to do.
You are the who, what, when and where to my why. I was made to love you."
Michelle was speechless. Fresh tears streamed down her face and her lip quivered as he spoke the words to her that she her heart felt for him.
"I don't ever want to lose you again. I can't ever lose you again. I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy and knowing what it's like to love you more today that I did yesterday.
Michelle, will you…"
"Yes!" she exclaimed as she slid off the couch and into his arms. "Yes!" she whispered as her lips reached for his. "Yes!" she breathed into his mouth.
She wrapped her arms tight around his neck, he wrapped his arms tight around her waist as they sealed the deal with a kiss.