Author's Note: Another one of those half stories I just had lying around my vault that I forgot about until someone asked. It's somewhat fluffy compared to my usual stuff.

"Mike…"

"Paige!" Mike presses her hand to his lips. He kisses down to her wrist until he feels her pulse beating strong under the thin veil of skin. "Thank God."

"What happened?" She asks groggily.

"You were right. As usual. The bust was a bad idea." Mike says, trying not to overload her with information. He rubs her fingers between his and tries not to show her how scared he's been she wouldn't make it.

Paige closes her eyes as she remembers. Mike was under making a deal with Evon Oswald, a particularly shady heroine dealer. Mike had been pushing it though. Oswald wasn't biting but Mike couldn't let it go. By the time she'd gotten in there, Mike was on his knees being forced down to bite the curb with a gun to his neck. She'd shot the bastard on sight. She'd never been so scared in her life. The gunshot had alerted the other thugs to her presence. She doesn't remember much after that. A lot of screaming. A lot of blood. Mike holding her, and a numb feeling taking over as he told her again and again she wasn't allowed to die.

"Can I have some water?" Her mouth feels like it's filled with cotton and she realizes she doesn't know how long she's been in this hospital. It could have been hours or days or weeks since she last spoke or drank anything.

"Of course." Mike's hands are shaky as he quickly and nervously gets a glass for her. His one hand continues to hold hers as he stands up and reaches for the water on the table without letting her go. Poor guy. She must have really scared him. He looks just about as bad as she feels. She wonders if he's had any rest at all.

She remembers how scared she was when Mike was in the hospital in the past. First when he was stabbed, and then again after Sid. She still feels the dull throb of guilt over that. It feels like forever since Mike had finally arrested Sid Markum, even though it had probably only been a little over a year. It took most of that time for her and Mike to come back to a place where they didn't hate each other. It took even longer to realize that part of the problem was they had never moved on, and feelings were still there. Once they admitted that, things had gotten better quickly. A lot better.

They had only started dating again a week before the Oswald bust.

Well, dating for the first time technically. Before their relationship had consisted of secret hookups and not labeling things. This time Mike insisted if they try again, they date. The night of the bust was supposed to be their third official date which Paige had been anxiously looking forward to. The two dates prior, Mike had literally walked her to her door and then gone to his room next door, leaving her with nothing more than a kiss goodnight. The third date though, their dinner reservations were at a hotel. A quick bit of snooping and she discovered he'd booked a room for afterwards.

Paige had planned appropriately, wearing some scandalous undergarments underneath her DEA uniform, and brought a fancy silk dress to change into for dinner. The EMT unit who put her in the hospital gown must have had a field day when they changed her. The shootout and near death experience had derailed her plans to get to the dress and dinner.

"Here's your water. Take it slow. You're going to be fine." Mike says, and Paige has a feeling he's more convincing himself.

She takes the glass from him with her left hand and sips the cool liquid gratefully. He refuses to let go of her other hand in his. When she finishes, she goes to lower her glass and is caught off guard by a sparkle of light she sees through the glass.

"That's... not... mine." She says in a slow cautious voice staring at the ring on her left ring finger. The ring that was most certainly not there at the Oswald Bust. She wonders if maybe she hit her head and is having memory issues, because she's certain the bullet in her shoulder shouldn't have caused to her to forget something so important.

"It is if you want it." Mike says, watching her reaction carefully.

"I must be missing something." Paige says, not sure what to do with the glass, but afraid she may drop it from her trembling fingers.

Mike reaches out and takes the glass from her, setting it aside and taking both her hands between his, kneeling on the floor.

"I'm sorry to spring this on you." Mike says, "You nearly died. You nearly died in my arms and… It made me realize, not to take things for granted. I love you, Paige. I have since the moment I saw you. I want to marry you. What are we waiting for?"

"You could at least wait until I was conscious."

"I've never been patient. Plus, I figured this was the only way I was going to get it on your hand." Mike says, kissing the ring on her finger. "I always knew getting it on would be the hard part. Now I just have to convince you to keep it there."

"Is this a joke? Did you and Johnny just get bored while I was passed out? Because it's not funny Mike." Paige looks around over Mike's shoulder, half expecting Johnny to be standing there laughing.

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

He didn't.

His eyes were intensely staring into hers. He looked nervous, but determined. Once she gets over the look he's giving her, she really looks at Mike. His face is scruffy, his eyes bloodshot. He's still wearing his FBI uniform, and she can see stains of what she imagines is her blood on the dark fabric.

"We haven't even had the exclusive talk yet-"

"Are you seeing anyone else?" Mike cuts her off to ask.

Paige rolls her eyes because obviously she's not, but the point was that they had barely gotten back together, and people didn't just propose after two dates. True, they'd been living together for over two years, but most the time they hadn't been sleeping together, and half the time they'd been fighting. Yes, Mike was the most important person in her life, but marriage?!

"No, but…" Paige stutters out a reply, ready to tell him all of her good reasons.

"Me neither. There. We had the talk. New talk: will you marry me?" Mike insists again, and Paige forgot how singular Mike's focus could be when he got started.

"Mike, this is crazy. We just got back together. What if things don't work out? When we tried before things went so wrong..."

"That was last time. This time is different. Don't you feel it?"

"Yes. This time, we haven't had sex for almost a year."

"I hear that's normal for most married couples." Mike teases, and Paige gives him a look.

"Look, this can work. It will mean no more lies." Mike promises her.

"There's always going to be the lies. It's Graceland." Paige tells him practically.

What he's doing is romantic as hell, but it's just not possible. He's the rationale one. He should know that.

"Then we'll move." Mike says simply.

"To DC?" Paige asks skeptically.

"Wherever you want to go." Mike pleads, "Look with our jobs. Our lives. I don't know how much more time we're going to get. I don't know what's going to happen. I do know that I want you. You're my future. However long that is."

"Mike I can't. Not now. Not like this." She's scared. Mike's face falls, and she hates that she's the one who put that hurt look on it. "I'm not saying never. I'm not saying no."

"No. It's ok. I knew it was a long shot…" Mike says, looking down at the ground, trying to fix his expression. Looking up with shy eyes he asks, "I know I'm maybe being a little crazy. I was so scared Paige. There was so much blood and- Look, tell me. Did I just scare you off? Tell me I didn't just ruin everything."

"No." She says, with tears in her eyes. "You didn't ruin anything."

"So should I return this? Or do you want me to hold on to it for you for later… maybe… if you..." Mike asks, looking down at the ring, unable to make eye contact with her.

As shocked as she was to see it on her hand, somehow, now that it's there, it looks like it belongs. Paige suddenly doesn't want to take it off. She looks down at the ring on her finger. At her hand in Mike's hand… It looks nice.

"Well maybe… Maybe I should hold onto it." Paige whispers softly.

Mike's eyes flash up to her face, waiting for her to continue. She doesn't though, she just stares down at their hands.

"How would that work, exactly?" Mike asks, looking at her with cautious eyes.

"Well… I couldn't wear it when I'm out in the field but, when I'm not working…" Paige finally looks away from her hands in Mike's and up at his face giving him a shy smile, "I mean, it looks really nice there."

"Looks beautiful." He murmurs his agreement, leaning in to kiss her.

The kiss starts off gentle and sweet and quickly begins to build in heat, finally Mike uses all his self control to pull himself away, his breathing choppy as he looks over towards the hallway, looking for a doctor. "I want to get you home. I can promise the doctors I won't let you leave the bed for a week."

"A whole week?" Paige raises her eyebrows at him impressed with his ambitious plans.

"Maybe a month." Mike grins, kissing her again, "Just to be safe."

"A month, huh? You don't think I'll get bored there all alone while you work?" She smiles teasingly.

"I've got some vacation time saved up. I can stay there with you. Keep you company." Mike says, his fingers grazing her hair.

"Cooped up in Graceland all day? Doesn't sound like much of a vacation for you." Paige grins against his lips as he presses them to hers once again, his fingers entwining with hers.

"Well you'll be there. Plus, I was thinking maybe a nicer bed in a resort somewhere. Like Bali." Mike suggests, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

"Sounds more like a honeymoon than sick leave. I'm not sure the DEA will sign off on that." Paige laughs at his enthusiasm.

"I'm told I can be very persuasive." Mike grins, leaning in to kiss her once again.

As he pulls back from the kiss he murmurs, "So a honeymoon, huh? Aren't you rushing things a little bit here?" He teases, "I mean you haven't even technically said 'yes' yet."

"Yes."