Here's to Happily Ever After
A/N: I wonder why people always seem to hide jewelry for future gift-giving in their sock drawers? I thoroughly relished 554Laura's fanfic Christmas story gift about Booth's faithful agent, Charlie Burns playing Santa Claus, albeit reluctantly, for the FBI children's Christmas party. And her introduction of Peyton Perotta's sister Prentice made me decide to add a bit more to that story. So, here's a peek ahead into their New Year. Not sure how involved this continuation will become. Real life in 2018 is stacking up to be crazily busy for me, but I'm gonna try.
Charlie Burns slid into the seat of his SUV, wishing for the millionth time that the Bureau would spring for heated seats in their agents' cars. The subterranean Hoover parking structure, constructed of solid concrete, retained the cold ferociously and chilled all the official vehicles very effectively.
Belting himself in, he noticed his torso was a bit slimmer lately. Spending time with Prentice was so much more fun than Saturdays watching televised football games with Artie the cat, munching sour cream onion chips. Smiling to himself, he pulled out of the parking garage to pick up Prentice from her dental appointment.
The pair now shared a fourth-floor loft apartment in Adams Morgan, not far from Booth's old place above the Sportsman's liquor store. Their renovated older building was well-maintained, and the place they'd rented had vintage amenities lacking in the newer sprawling suburban complexes they'd bypassed. The larger closets, Craftsman woodwork, and warm oak floors reminded them both of childhood homes in Minneapolis.
They each had a bathroom, shared the larger sunny bedroom, and furnished the smaller one as an office. The remodeling contractor had installed a well-designed Pottery Barn Murphy wall unit whose desk surface maintained its orientation even when the queen bed was in use by overnight guests.
Charlie had decided any future house they bought would definitely include this innovative feature. His remarking as much to Booth and Wendell during their Super Bowl party had the trio mulling how to design and build one.
Pulling up to the medical building, Charlie patted his pocket. He pulled into a 15-minute parking spot and texted Prentice. A few minutes later, she appeared in the revolving door smiling at him. He hopped out of the car, opened her door, and kissed her cheek.
"Ooh, huh-eee, my mouf is numb!" she muttered as best she could.
"No matter, you can kiss me double later tonight to compensate," he replied with a grin.
Planning ahead, Charlie had ordered their favorite sandwiches and soup from the diner, hiding them and a bottle of wine in his SUV. He pulled into traffic and headed for the Tidal Basin.
"Where're we goin', Char-eee?" Prentice asked. "Work's the ov-er way!"
"Pren, it's 4:55. No one's gonna expect us back this afternoon. I asked Helen Rooney to cover my weekly agent meeting, and your assistant knows you had three fillings done today," Charlie assured her. "Can't I take my best girl for a drive to admire the cherry blossoms?"
Prentice stopped trying to talk, and gave him a shy smile.
"I've always loved the history behind DC getting the flowering cherry trees," Charlie continued. "They are just beginning to bloom, a little late this year, kinda like my life in general until I met you, Prentice."
"A strong-minded lady like you, Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore, was the National Geographic Socieity's first female board member. She traveled extensively in the Far East with her brother, a career diplomat there from 1884 to 1922. George H. Scidmore was U.S. Consul General at Yokohama, Japan, and his diplomatic connections gave his sister access to places ordinary travelers never saw. Traveling in Japan, she was captivated by the ephemeral beauty of cherry tree blossoms, and resolved to introduce them back in the U.S."
"She approached the Army Superintendent of Public Buildings and Grounds about planting cherry trees along the Potomac River waterfront for 24 years before First Lady Helen Taft became interested. In 1912, 3020 cherry trees were donated by the city of Tokyo to celebrate the friendly relationship between the US and Japan. In the years since World War II, our Forest Service has assisted Japan in maintaining their cherry trees with occasional donations of descendant trees from those originals which suffered wartime and weather damage."
Prentice smiled fondly, listening to Charlie's impromptu lecture. In addition to his kind pleasant nature, the unassuming FBI agent was an intelligent man with wide-ranging interests. Once they reached the Tidal Basin, the couple admired the freshly-erupted pale pink blossoms and numerous tiny buds as Charlie steered the SUV slowly along the curving waterfront road. There were few other cars in West Potomac Park this mid-April afternoon, since most Washingtonians were engrossed in rush hour traffic.
He stopped the car in front of the John Ericsson National Memorial, one of his favorite spots in the park. A Swedish engineer, Ericsson invented the revolutionary screw propeller and designed the Civil War-era USS Monitor. Like his dad, Charlie served in the Navy and enjoyed naval history. There weren't many picnic tables near the parking area and the park was still soggy from recently-melted snow.
The broad steps of Ericsson's memorial offered a perfect spot for their impromptu supper. He opened the SUV for Prentice and removed the diner food and wine from the trunk. Spreading an olive green wool army surplus blanket, which was scratchy but resisted moisture, he seated her with a flourish and pulled her insulated container of soup from his insulated bag. Prentice laughed in delighted surprise.
Warmed by hours of sunshine, the marble steps made a pleasant picnic spot. Charlie filled two acrylic wine glasses and handed one to his girlfriend. They ate in silence, watching faint reddish streaks beginning to paint the sky as sunset approached. Popping the last bite of roast beef, provolone, and whole wheat berry bread into his mouth, Charlie stood up, bowed formally, and reached into his pocket. As Prentice watched, he sank to one knee and gently took her hand. Her eyes widened.
"You must know how I feel about you, Prentice. You're the sweetest woman I've ever met, considerate, gentle, giving, and kind. I'd like to share my life with you, if you'll have me. Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"
"Oh, Char-eee! Of cour-! Why'd ya do thfis when my mouf is num?"
"I love your mouth, however it is, and you too! All of you, all the time!"
He opened the small black velvet box, and presented it to her. Nestled inside was a gold band with a recessed center diamond flanked by single smaller ones on each side.
"This was my Granma's ring, when Granpa proposed before he left for Korea in 1951 He bought her a fancier one for their silver anniversary, and Mom saved this one for me."
He slipped it onto her left hand. The gold metal widened across the top of her finger, curved to accommodate the white gold three-stone setting. Prentice gazed at it, then at Charlie, nodding brightly as she swiped at a few tears. They wrapped each other into a hug, and forgot the beautiful blossoms overhead, lost in their happiness.
"I feel like I've come home," he murmured into her hair.
"Me, too, Char-eee, me too. I'm so g-ad you a-ked me." She whispered back.
oooooooooo
In early May, at the Washington Navy Yard Chapel of the Four Chaplains, Charlie Burns and Prentice Perotta were married in a simple ceremony, their families and close friends in attendance. Christine Booth was the flower girl, Booth stood up with his friend as best man, and Peyton served as her sister's matron of honor. Prentice wore a tailored white suit, and Charlie was handsome in his Navy Reserve uniform.
After a brief appearance at the reception, the couple drove to the Washington Navy Lodge in Anacostia and forgot about the outside world as they came together, breaking Booth's laws of physics. The next morning they meandered south, exploring as they drove to South Carolina. The 10-hour trip seemed to fly past as they watched scenery, talked about the future, and stopped for food along the way. Arriving late at Charleston AFB, they slept soundly in each other's arms, sated and blissful.
Early the next morning the couple drove on to Naval Station Mayport where Charlie had once been stationed. The relatively short 4-hour trip left them time to watch the ocean sunset on this Atlantic edge of northern Florida before a leisurely, large, and very early dinner. There was important very personal activitiy ahead. They checked into their room in mid-afternoon, and didn't surface til morning.
They dozed off after hours of love-making, lulled to sleep by the waves. Hand in hand, over the next few days, they explored the beach, finding shells and shark teeth, splashed, waded, swam, and went for runs along a path on the inland side of the dunes.
The pair thoroughly enjoyed the solitude of a lovely place emptied of crowds between spring break and summer vacation. The Navy Lodge was quiet and comfortable. One memorable day was spent fishing off the coast in a chartered boat. Its captain took them up to the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, where he'd grown up. They pulled into a tiny picturesque bay and had lunch with his delightful great-grandmother.
Prentice could have listened to her stories for hours. She knew Dr. Brennan would be fascinated to hear of their experiences. On the way back, Charlie caught red fish, tarpon, and sea trout. Prentice managed to land a flounder. They released all the fish, except for the flounder, which Cpt. Abram requested for his family's dinner that night.
At Brennan's suggestion, they drove a short distance south to watch newly-hatched baby sea turtles dig their way out of the sand, and instinctively head for the ocean. For these tiny creatures, the short span was a herculean journey.
Early the last morning of their honeymoon, Charlie and Prentice grabbed a quick breakfast at the Mayport Navy Lodge, left a tip for the housekeeper, thanked the front desk clerk and checked out. On a whim, while they were eating, Charlie googled the Air Mobility Command website, logged into its Space-Available Military Flight app on his phone, and signed up for the DC flight wait list. It was worth a shot, he decided. If there were no seats available, they'd just have to drive back up to the capital tomorrow. That was not a prospect he relished. Coming down, he and Prentice had taken their time. Deadheading it back for work Monday would make for a taxing trip.
The couple drove the hour to NAS Jacksonville, dropped off their rental car, and checked in at the military Space-A flight travel desk, leaving their cell phone numbers. Then they walked across the base to the commissary and bought a few small gifts for Peyton, her mom, Cooper, and little Jeremy. After paying for their purchases, they caught a shuttle bus to Aircraft Heritage Park, and walked among the static displays of historic warplanes.
They wandered through the small U.S. Military Air Power Museum, which seeks to preserve historic aircraft from all branches of the American military. Still waiting to hear their flight status, Prentice and Charlie noticed brightly-colored placards announcing plans for the USS Adams Museum, which would showcase the guided missile destroyer USS Charles F. Adams (DDG-2) in a U.S. Naval warship floating museum. Housed on base during planning and development, these two nascent institutions would energize tourism in the city of Jacksonville, attracting an influx of visitors to its northeastern corner of Florida.
Suddenly Charlie's phone chimed. Then Prentice heard hers as well. They'd made it onto the flight manifest!
Charlie figured, in later years, that his living by the rules must have been rewarded at that moment, for they had snagged two seats back home on a red-eye flight to Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling. The pair grabbed a quick dinner of seafood and salad at a café near flight operations, then checked in plenty early and walked to the flight lounge to await their boarding call. Prentice set her cell phone alarm for a pre-flight bathroom break, and promptly dozed off against Charlie's shoulder. He glanced down at the ring on her left hand, smiled in satisfaction, leaned his head on hers, and closed his eyes to catch a nap before midnight takeoff.
A few hours later, accustomed to packing lightly, with only a backpack each, he and Prentice settled into the C-40's comfortable upright seats. To maximize passenger capacity, these didn't recline like a civilian Boeing 737's, but neither cared. Delighted to avoid another ten-hour car trip, they were euphoric.
Once he knew they were ticketed for the Space-A flight, Charlie had called Agent Harris early in the evening to drive his car to Anacostia. Morris readily agreed, declaring that the taxi fare back to the Bureau would be his wedding gift to his boss.
Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Burns landed an hour and 47 minutes later and made it home by 2:30 am. They hopped in the shower together for the first business-only soaping they'd ever shared, then hit their pillows with drowsy hugs and kisses.
As he closed his eyes, Charlie knew that heading in to work the next morning would be tough, but he didn't care. It was the first day of their happily-ever-after together. How could a plain Jane guy like him be so lucky?
A/N: Okay, I know I may have taken some liberties with the DOD Lodging system and Space Available flights, even for a military wife, but what the heck? This is fan fiction. And veterans deserve the very best lucky breaks!