Disclaimer: I only own myself. And my car.
Author's Note: So this one shot is a challenge that Indigo44 invited me partake in. We each gave the other a couple and one word to create a one shot off of, and as you can tell, my word was "egg" (a chicken egg, not an Easter egg), and my couple is SimonxJeanette. I'm not quite sure if I followed the prompt correctly…I started off with a farm setting, but then everything changed. Gack. And I don't think that the Latin translation is exact, so bear with me. Be sure to check out Indigo44's one shot as well!
This is dedicated to Indigo44, for being so understanding. :)
Ab Ovo (From the Egg)
Simon hummed to himself in the kitchen and cracked open another egg, pouring its contents into a mixing bowl. He swiftly cracked open and poured two more, then added some milk, a pinch of salt, and a dash of pepper. Simon whisked the scrambled egg concoction together, then added some water- an old trick Theodore had taught him to make the eggs fluffier. After satisfied that the scrambled eggs were well mixed, he poured them into a warm frying pan.
The yellow liquid would take a few minutes to absorb the heat from the pan and harden, so Simon took the opportunity to triple-check his pajama pants' pocket for a velvet case. Not satisfied with just the feel of the case, the chipmunk fished the small box out of his blue and white checkered pajama pants' pocket. Opening the box revealed a delicate, silver ring with a simple diamond in the center. The inside of the ring had something inscribed upon it, but was unintelligible unless held close. The ring was a true work of art, and a small smile crept onto Simon's face as he realized how soon he would be giving it to the sleeping chipette upstairs.
"Simon?"
The chipmunk nearly jumped out of his skin, causing him to drop the beautifully crafted ring into the soupy mixture below. No! Simon yelled mentally, and immediately began to panic.
"What're you doing up so early, hun?" A tired voice asked, yawning after finishing the question. Simon whirled around, trying to do his best to look suave.
"Can't I make my darling Jeanette some breakfast in bed?" Simon asked in a slightly sarcastic manner while flashing a smooth smile, and walked forward to put his hands on Jeanette's hips.
"I suppose so," she yawned, and pulled her purple bathrobe even tighter around herself, trying to keep out the chilly March morning air. Simon smiled and kissed her forehead.
"Go back to bed, love. I'll be up soon."
"M'kay…" Jeanette yawned again and trudged her way back upstairs.
Once Jeanette disappeared up the stairs, Simon's panic ensued once again. He ran back to the stove and used a spatula to feel for the ring in the thickening mixture, but to no avail. It was lost underneath the folds of now-fluffy eggs. Simon sighed in exasperation and knew that he would have to serve scrambled eggs that now had a hint of diamond mixed in.
The chipmunk served the scrambled eggs on a plate with buttered toast and a glass of cold milk. After adorning the tray with the food, a fork, napkin, and red rose that he had bought the day before, Simon made his way through the downstairs hall and up the stairs to the bedroom he had been sharing with Jeanette for three years.
He quietly opened the door with one paw as he balanced the tray with the other, and closed the door behind him. Simon placed the tray on the nightstand, then crawled onto the bed, where Jeanette's back was to him. Her shoulder rose and sank with every deep breath, and Simon just laid there for a moment, admiring the woman he had loved since she was a girl. Jeanette's beautiful chocolate brown hair swept down her shoulders and half way down her back, exposing the fur on her slender neck…
Simon placed his lips against that very spot, and Jeanette stirred. He kept kissing her neck up to her small ear, where he whispered, "Hello there, sleeping beauty."
Jeanette rolled over and opened her dazzling emerald eyes, squinting until she reached for her glasses and put them on. As her image of Simon's tousled head of hair cleared, she could see his lips and kissed him there.
Simon never wanted to stop kissing Jeanette. He felt as if he could lie there for hours with his lips connected to hers, just as his heart would never leave her side. However, Simon reminded himself of his task and pulled away.
"Your breakfast will get cold," Simon murmured, then leaned over to get the tray as Jeanette straightened herself up. Simon placed the tray on her lap, and she smiled when she saw the brilliant red rose.
"Thank you," Jeanette said, and kissed Simon on the cheek. She picked up her fork to begin eating the delicious-looking scrambled eggs when Simon's voice stopped her.
"Be careful! I, uh, um…I kind of dropped a…er…a pebble in the mix. By accident. It was too hot to fish out." Simon mentally slapped himself. A pebble? Of all the things he could have said…
"How did you drop a pebble in here?" Jeanette asked in disbelief, a forkful of eggs now inches from her lips.
"I, uh, I dunno. I went out to the car to get the rose, and it slipped out of my hand by accident on the walkway where all the rocks are, and a pebble must have gotten in between two of the petals. I put the rose in the vase as the scrambled eggs were cooking, and I saw the pebble drop into the pan at the last second as I mixed them…" Simon knew it was a stretch, and was surprised at how fast he had made it up. He prayed that she would believe it.
Being the trusting chipette that Jeanette was, she did believe him, and began to eat the eggs, chewing carefully. Simon began leaning towards her in anticipation, waiting for her to gasp in surprise.
The eggs began to diminish, until there were only a few scoopfuls left. Simon began to panic, thinking that Jeanette hadn't felt the ring in time and swallowed it, and then he'd have to take her to the doctor's, and explain what she had really swallowed, thus ruining the surprise…
But in Simon's panic he didn't notice that Jeanette had stopped chewing and put down her fork. She stood up, and began walking to the bathroom inside their bedroom.
"Jeanette?" Simon called after her, springing out of the bed. "Jeanette, honey, did you, uh, find the…er…pebble?" He asked lamely, then heard the faucet running.
Jeanette walked out of the bathroom after turning off the faucet. A look of apprehension mixed with amusement adorned her face as she held up a now-clean diamond ring.
"This is one pricey pebble, Simon," Jeanette said, a grin creeping across her face. Simon blushed sheepishly, and put his hand out for the ring.
"Why did you lie? It's a beautiful gift, but you could have told me. I wouldn't have gotten mad. It's actually kind of cute how you tried to cover it up," Jeanette poked Simon on the nose after he took back the ring. Simon chuckled at her oblivious belief on the matter.
"Jeanette…it's not a gift. Well, I suppose it is in a sense, but I didn't mean for that to be its purpose," Simon led on, wondering if she would catch on. He decided that it was now or never, and slid to one knee on the hardwood floor.
Jeanette brought a shaky paw to her mouth when the realization of the ring's true purpose dawned on her.
"Jeanette Ann Miller, I've loved you all my life. Ever since we were kids, I knew there was something special about you. You understand me, and take me for all that I am. For a while now I've known that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. So now I must ask, Jeanette…will you marry me?" Simon held up the ring to her, holding it between his thumb and forefinger.
"Yes!" A breathless Jeanette responded, falling to her knees to kiss Simon. He pulled away after a moment and pulled her onto his lap as they sat on the floor, and showed Jeanette a better view of the ring. He read the inscription aloud.
"Ab ovo, te amo."
"From the very beginning, I have loved you," Jeanette breathed, translating the Latin dialect.
"It's kind of funny, when you think about it, because 'ab ovo' literally translates to 'from the egg'…" Simon muttered, watching the calligraphy inscription shine in the light.
"Well, the ring literally came from an egg, in my case," Jeanette smiled, marveling at how fate often decides to tie events together with another. Simon smiled as he slid the bejeweled marvel onto her ring finger.
"Your ring," he corrected. Jeanette smiled and kissed him again.
The kiss deepened as it became more heated with passion. Simon scooped Jeanette up in his arms and gently carried her to their bed as they continued to celebrate their promise of a future together, forgetting all about Jeanette's still-warm eggs.