So, this story has been an idea for a really long time now. I had a rough copy written up, but it magically disappeared. It was actually meant to be a Will x Chelsea story, but I feel it blossomed more with Vaughn as the love interest. Oh, and it may have a little something to do with the face I love Vaughn way more than Will.
Okay, so I have some questions I want to ask of anyone who is familiar with my work. I was wondering if I should do like a prequel to Sweet Perfection. By that I mean, go back more in depth of the life that Chelsea had when she was abducted. This may seem really strange to anyone who hasn't read the story (I sincerely apologize!) but I recommend highly that you read it!
Also, I was also wondering if I should do a collection of oneshots ranging a series of different emotions between some of my favorite pairings (or even requested ones!) It was just a thought, but I would enjoy some feedback on that as well!
Now, enough of me. I hope you enjoy my little one shot.
The moon was high in the sky on the eve of Starry Night. True to its name, the night blossomed with a dark blanket of brilliant stars across the night sky. I sighed as the cool, winter's air brushed over my skin, causing me to shiver. I craned my head back and followed constellations with my eyes. On a night made specifically for the romancing of your significant other, I was spending my night alone by the river. Vaughn got shipped out on an important delivery in another town, so there wasn't much I could do. I smiled sadly, wishing he was right beside me. I missed the warmth of his arms, the love I saw in his eyes when he looked at me. Goddess, I just missed him. A bunch of people on the island were getting together for a little get together. As Julia told me, there would be some food, dancing, and maybe a little more booze than some of these people could handle. I had politely declined the invitation, stating that it just wouldn't be fun without the love of my life by my side.
I closed my cerulean eyes against the sudden ambush of tears and sighed deeply. Who knew things would be this hard. I understood that Vaughn couldn't always be on the island, but I didn't know just how much it would hurt not to have him around on days like today. As I tried to swallow down the overwhelming feeling of loneliness, I heard the soft crunch of snow under an approaching person's feet. I quickly swiped at the tears that had rolled down my cheeks and cracked open my eyes to look at the guest. Julia glared down at me as she loomed over my form on the ground. Her carefully curled blonde hair hung in ringlets down her back and framed her agitated face. I crinkled my eyebrows together in confusion at her anger aimed directly at me. As I opened my mouth to ask exactly what the problem was, she beat me to the punch.
"Can you please explain to me why you're sitting here out in the cold feeling sorry for yourself? Last time I checked, water freezes in temperatures this low. What would happen if your tears froze your eyes shut? Huh?" she demanded, shuffling from foot to foot, as if her agitation wouldn't allow her a moment to stand still.
I chuckled without humor. "Well, dear friend, I was enjoying this beautiful, emotion evoking scene in front of me before you so rudely interrupted."
She groaned and flung herself to the ground beside me. "Oh, can it, Chelsea. I know you're over here pining over your cowboy. I'm here to save you from your self inflicted misery and bring you some fun into your night!"
I shook my head, causing a couple of pieces of snow to fall from my chestnut locks. Huh, when had it started snowing? "I told you I didn't want to go to a party, Julia."
"Fine, don't go to the party to have fun. Go to the party to get drunk, because that is a hell of a lot more fun than sitting here in the snow flirting with the idea of becoming a living Frosty the snowman."
She leveled her gaze with mine, outright challenging me to refuse her. I knew her well enough to know that she wouldn't take no for an answer. She would fight until she got what she wanted and, obviously, my compliance was dead center on the dart board of importance. I sighed loudly, pushing the tips of my fingers deeper into the pockets of my coat. I weighed my options mentally as Julia patiently waited. She had this gleam shadowed across her face, as if she knew she was about to win this fight. Julia always wins fights, because she fights dirty.
"Fine, but I don't promise to act happy. I just promise to get wasted."
She squealed happily as she jerked to her feet, dragging me alongside her. I lunged forward to keep myself from falling over as she took off in a dead sprint towards the dock for the short ride over to Meadow Island where the little get together was being held. Her enthusiasm was almost contagious, but the loneliness tainted any morsel of enjoyment I could possibly evoke from tonight. Honestly, this whole thing spelled disaster in my opinion, but I was going along with it simply because I wasn't faced with a choice. The boat ride went by quickly, as I was preoccupied with my thoughts. We docked and Julia hurridly pulled me from the boat and into the clearing. I heard everyone before I saw them. When we turned the corner, the scene in front of me materialized.
Someone had set up a large gazebo in the middle of the clearing with a small dancefloor off to the side. A boombox sat adjacent to the dancefloor and rang out a slow jazz song. Couples littered the dancefloor, their hips swaying in rhythm to the music. A bar, tended by Taro, sat in one corner of the clearing beside a few tables with chairs circled around it. Lanterns hung from trees, swaying in the night time breeze, giving the area a cozy feel. It was all very pretty, but I couldn't help but wish Vaughn was here. Nothing was the same unless he was here to enjoy it with me.
I ambled over to Taro slowly, listening more to the crunch of snow under my boots than to the shift of music from jazz to slow country ballad. Taro shot me a sad smile and slide a glass of red wine towards me. I smiled stiffly in thanks, throwing the glass back and downing the liquid in one gulp. I took a seat at the bar and turned to observe the happiness of my fellow villagers. Chen was awkwardly swaying from side to side, his hands low on Mirabelle's hips. A bright flush fell upon her cheeks as she leaned her head into his chest to hide her embarrassment. Elliot stiffly held Julia in his arms, but she couldn't have looked more in love if she had tried. Charlie shot past Denny and Lanna as they danced, frightening them as he chased after Eliza with a wilted moondrop flower in his tiny fist. Will and Lily glided effortlessly on the floor, evoking envious glares from other couples around them. Everyone looked so happy, so in love. I bit my lip as the tears welled in my eyes and I pried my gaze away from the dancefloor.
Taro was looked at me sadly. "Why don't you head home and get some sleep? I don't like seeing you so sad, Chelsea."
"No, Julia wanted me to come. The least I can do is stay until the food is served." I sniffled tensely, trying to hold the tears at bay for a little while longer.
The old man patted my hand in a fatherly gesture. "Go. Get some rest, for an old man's piece of mind." He shooed me away from the bar and I smiled stiffly as I leaned over the bar to pull him into a hug. He patted me awkwardly on the back before releasing me. I ambled over to the small boat and waved once before closing my eyes and turning my face towards the sky.
The rhythmic rocking of the boat was almost trance like but, before I could completely enjoy the peace it put in my mind, it was over. I sighed before opening my eyes. I glance around in confusion before turning back to Kirk. "Uh, Kirk I think you took me to Mystic Island by mistake. I requested to go home, remember?"
He nodded his head and shot me a friendly smile. "Yes, but I had order to take you here and instruct you to head over to the church. Someone would be waiting for you there."
I just looked at him for a moment before he shooed me with his hands. I sighed quite loudly as I climbed precariously out of the wobbly boat. As I weaved my way around the island and towards the church, the irritation set in. "All I wanted to do was go home, drown my sorrows in wine and chocolate, but no. I have to go out in the dead of night to meet someone on an island that frankly scares the crap out of me…" I muttered in annoyance, clenching my hands into fists against my thighs. I slipped on a random patch of ice and caught myself on a tree branch close to me. "Damn it all, I wish I had never…" I trailed off as the church came into view and the person whom Kirk was talking about materialized.
Vaughn stood with a rose in hand in front of the church. Twinkling white lights layered over top of the structure of the building, illuminating the Goddess pond beautifully. I gasped in shock as my mind registered that Vaughn was actually here. I raced forward and crashed into his chest. He chuckled as he laced his arms around my waist and held me close. I breathed in his musky cologne and smiled happily into the broad expanse of his leather clad chest. Here he was in my arms, when not even an hour ago I was wishing her were beside me. I chuckled and cuddled closer to him.
After what felt like hours, he pulled back away from me and racked his eyes over my face. "I tried to get back as soon as I could. I rushed the job, because I wanted to spend as much of tonight with you. I'm sorry it's so late, but I was wondering if you would dance with me?"
"I mean, I would love to dance with you, but there isn't any music. Wouldn't it be awkward to dance with no music?" I joked, running my hand across the plane of his smooth cheek.
He leaned momentarily into my touch before pulling away and motioning towards the window of the church. Suddenly, slow jazz music erupted from the confines of the building and I dimly saw Alisa shoot me a thumbs up before backing away from the window. I laughed loudly at their antics before abruptly cutting off the sound when Vaughn gathered me in his arms and turned us in slow circles. I sighed in content, placing my head down on his shoulder as we lazily rotated. Vaughn rubbed his hands up and down my spine as we danced, evoking sighs from me. I felt him bury his face in my hair and inhaled the scent of my locks. I nuzzled my nose deeper into the fabric of his clothing, reveling in all things that were so completely Vaughn.
After the first song ended, he began to speak as we continued steadily rotating. "I've been doing a lot of thinking these past couple of days, about you and me. I kept wondering what it is about you that has me so enamored. I can't get you out of my head. The more I thought about it, the more obvious the answer became. It's because you are made perfectly for me. Whereas I tend to be gruff and short, you were the complete opposite of that. You're warm, and loving. You brought me out of my shell. That took a long time to wrap my head around, but it made me realize that you complimented me in a way that I had never known before."
He sprinkled kisses starting from my temple and trailed them down to my jaw. "When I got the call saying that I was to be shipped out on a job today, my heart sank. I wanted today to be special, I had everything planned out. When I kissed you on the dock this morning, that look of sadness in your eyes haunted me for hours afterward. I felt empty, like my light had been snuffed out. I hated that feeling, and I resigned myself to never feel that way again."
He lazily kissed his way across my jaw and back up the other side of my face before stopping at my left temple. "I wondered and wondered what I could do to insure that I would never have to leave you again. As I worked, I half did everything because my mind was so filled with you. Then it hit me."
He kissed across my forehead and down the bridge of my nose before pulling back slightly to look me in the eyes. We stopped rotating as he removed his hands from my back and cupped my face. "Then it hit me. I could get down on one knee and tell you all the things I was too scared to say for a long time. So, here it goes." He kneeled in front of me and clasped my hands in his. I gasped in shock as realization of what he was doing flitted across my mind.
"Chelsea Marie, ever since the first day I met you, I've been in love with you. You are by far the most beautiful, charismatic person I have ever known. I can't imagine a day in my life I would not want to spend with you. So, I pose the question. Will you spend the rest of forever with me? Chelsea, will you do me the honor of marrying me?" as he spoke, he released one hand to reach behind him to pull out a glistening blue feather from his coat pocket.
Tears flowed freely down my face as I nodded enthusiastically. "Yes. A million times yes!"
A smile lit his face as he jumped up to hug me fiercely. We stayed like that for a long moment before he pulled back only far enough for our noses to bush, allowing us to make eye contact. "I love you more than anything, Chelsea."
"Oh, Vaughn, I love you too."
Then he finally kissed me and I fell into my little piece of perfection.
I hope you enjoyed my one-shot. Leave a review if you would want more one-shots like this in the future! Thank you for reading. xoxo ~Brittany
