Title: A Midsummer Proposal

Author: SleepingBeautyAtNight

Fandom: Numb3rs

Pairing: Don E., Robin B.

Rate: T

Genre: Romance (one shot)

Words: 862

Summary: on a warm Summer evening, Don proposes to Robin

Disclaimer: all Numb3rs characters belong to CBS

Author's note: please read before you continue reading (contains season 6 spoilers!)

What follows is how I imagine Don's proposal to Robin. In my world, Don's horrible marriage proposal from S06E12 (Arm in Arms) has never taken place and this story is supposed to happen shortly after S06E11 (Scratch). I didn't used to be a great supporter of the character of Robin and of the pairing Don/Robin, but I am gradually starting to like her now.

This is my very first attempt with FF, so R&R please! English is not my mother language, so please forgive all my mistakes as this fic is unbetated!

Enjoy to story now!

It was a warm July evening, not yet sunset, and a gentle breeze was playing with Robin's hair while she was walking on the beach of Santa Monica with Don.

They had both had a hard week at work and when Friday finally arrived and he had suggested to take his motorbike for a ride to beach to go for a relaxing walk together she had accepted immediately, longing for some time to spend alone with the man she loved so deeply, away from all the bad things they always have to deal with.

They were walking in silence on the shore-line, hand in hand, bare feet, listening to the sound of the ocean, both lost in their own thoughts.

Suddenly, Don stopped and took Robin in his arms standing behind her, his arms around her waist, he breathed in the sweet smell of her soft skin and hair without saying anything.

She closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensation of their bodies closed together and the reassuring warmth radiating from him. She opened her eyes and looked at the sun going down over the horizon making both ocean and sky red.

"Don, it's beautiful" she whispered in his ear, her voice barely hearable through the sound of the waves crashing on the beach.

"Yeah, it's beautiful" he said "It's the most beautiful place on earth and therefore it's the place where I am asking you to marry me, Robin".

She stood there in his arms, stunned and speechless.

He gently turned her so that she was facing him now, then he lifted her hands to his lips and placed a soft kiss on them. He slowly lowered himself until he was kneeling in front of her on the shore-line, always holding her hands in his and never leaving her eyes while doing so.

She looked down at him with her mouth dry and she opened it to say something, but no words came to her mind. She could feel her heart beating hard inside of her chest, the sound of the ocean had disappeared and she felt like the world had stopped and the only two people left where Don and she. There was an awkward silence, like as the whole universe was waiting to see and listen to what was happening there, on the beach of Santa Monica on that warm July evening.

Then Don broke the silence and all of a sudden she snapped out of her reverie.

"Robin" he began "I know I'm not the perfect guy to stay with, I know that it's not easy to be around me because of my moody character and I know I can be a perfect asshole sometimes" he grinned at her and stopped to catch his breath. She softly smiled back at him, her cheeks flushing and her heart still pounding hard.

Then he spoke again "But I also know that I am in love with you, Robin" he paused for a while, then "You are the only woman on earth who understands me, who makes me feel happy and loved. You are the only woman strong enough to handle my bad character and I don't want to live another day without having you by my side. I want you to be my wife from now 'till forever. I want to share my life with you, because I cannot live without you. Life without you is not life anymore, it is sadness, darkness and loneliness. I don't want to keep you at distance anymore. I can't stand your absence because it means absence of meaning to me. I need you Robin. I need your love and I need to give you all the love that I can and that you deserve every single day of our lives. Robin Brooks, would you marry me?" he asked while reaching for his pocket and taking out a diamond ring that he put on the finger of her left hand.

He stopped and stared at her still holding her hands tightly.

She stared back at him, her eyes watering while her lips were trying to move coherently to let him know the thoughts forming in her mind.

After what seemed like an eternity, she finally smiled and answered him "Oh Don, of course I will marry you honey!"

He sighed in relief and smiled widely, his eyes sparkling with happiness and with the light of the sun reflecting on the surface of the ocean.

"I love you so much" she continued "that I can't stay away from you another day. I want to be your wife and to be always there for you whenever you need me".

Then she dropped on her knees, tears rolling down her cheeks, and hugged him tightly trembling in his strong arms. He kissed her there, on the shore-line. He wiped her tears away and kissed her again.

He pressed their foreheads together and whispered "I love you, Robin".

"I love you, Don" she whispered before kissing him again.

The sun went down over the horizon, leaving place for the moon and stars to come, and the breeze blows gently over them and over the ocean.

It was a pleasant midsummer evening.

A Midsummer Night's Dream, W. Shakespeare

ACT I SCENE I. Athens. The palace of THESEUS

[…]

HIPPOLYTA

Four days will quickly steep themselves in night;
Four nights will quickly dream away the time;
And then the moon, like to a silver bow
New-bent in heaven, shall behold the night
Of our solemnities
.