Mouse grinned as he finished lighting the candles that were all over the bedroom portion of the chamber he shared with his wife, Cat. Tonight was their two year anniversary and he wanted to make it as special as he could for her. Once upon a time, he'd only dreamed of finding somebody who would love him the way that she did. She understood him in a way that almost nobody except for Vincent (who was his closest friend) really did. She understood all his quirks and loved them and made him feel special.

Cat came into their chamber, dirty and sweaty from spending a day doing the community laundry. They all had shifts in the laundry at least once a month and she couldn't wait to climb into a tub of hot water and soak away the aches and pains that had taken up residence in her hands and elbows. She rolled her shoulders, willing the tightness in her muscles to relax.

"Surprise!" Mouse cried and she blinked, seeing for the first time the what seemed like at least a thousand candles that lit up the room and scented with the sweet smell of beeswax.

"Oh Mouse...this is so beautiful. I..wow." she whispered as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.

"Like it?" he asked, smiling but hesitantly. He was afraid he'd gone a little overboard with all the candles and with the gift he'd spent weeks working on in secret when she was off doing other things.

She buried her face in his shoulder, crying tears of joy. "I love it, Mouse. Really..this is amazing and so sweet. What's the occ..oh." she said, her eyes wide as she realized what day it was.

"Happy anniversary, my Cat.."Mouse whispered, nuzzling her cheek. Cat smiled and nuzzled him back.

"Happy anniversary, Mouse." she replied, her heart melting like chocolate in a microwave. She couldn't believe he'd done this just for her, to make her feel special. It was so romantic, like something out of a story book.

Mouse shook his head.

"Stink. Go..take a bath. I'll be waiting in the bedroom when you're done. Got a present for you." he told her, shooing her off in the direction of the small alcove where their bathroom was. Cat just shook her head. She couldn't get out of these disgusting work clothes fast enough.

As she soaked in the tub full of bubbles (Mouse had procured her a bottle of rose-scented bubble bath from Above. She didn't know where it came from and suspected she didn't want to know since it was probably another one of his five finger discounts) he discreetly picked up her dirty laundry and took it away. Cat luxuriated in the hot water, feeling the stress of the day just flowing out of her as she scrubbed the dirt from her skin with a sponge. She massaged her scalp and worked her fingers through her hip-length red hair.

When she finally felt clean enough and the water had started to cool, she got out of the tub and wrapped her long hair in a terrycloth turban she'd found discarded in the trash one day when she was out scavenging for cast offs. Her cat-patterned robe (another castoff she'd picked out of the garbage, smiling when she found it because of the pattern) was belted at her waist and she strode into their bedroom, wondering what her husband had planned for them.

She gasped. The bed was covered in slightly wilted rose petals and there were more candles, making the place seem almost as bright as daylight. In the middle of the bed was a small box wrapped in burlap sacking and tied with twine. Mouse sat at the foot of the bed, one foot tucked underneath him and the other swinging back and forth in nervous anticipation. Cat lifted the box and studied it for a moment.

"Present." Mouse said simply and she kissed him.

"Thank you, Mouse. But..I didn't get you anything. The thing is..I kinda..forgot." she said, blushing to the roots of her hair. She twirled one lock that had escaped around her finger. Mouse smiled.

"Don't have to get me anything. You love me. That's enough." he told her and pulled her down to the bed. "Open it. Open it!"

So she undid the twine and pulled the sacking away from the box. It was an intricately carved wooden box with a woodland scene on one side and a cat and a mouse on the other. When she opened the lid, it played a tinkly little tune that sounded almost like "Memory" from CATS. Tears began to slide down Cat's face. Nobody had ever given her a music box before, let alone one that was so beautiful. Carefully, she set it on the bed next to her and she pulled Mouse into her arms.

"I love it. Thank you, Mouse. Nobody's ever given me such a wonderful gift before. You are amazing, my love. Truly amazing." she whispered into his ear, causing him to shiver with delight.

"Love you. Love you more than thingies." he replied. It was something he said to her often, reaffirming his strong feelings for her.

Slowly, she set the music box on the bedside table and undid her robe, letting it slide to the floor. She wanted to show him, even if she hadn't gotten him an anniversary gift, just how much she loved him.

So she did.