The End: 2001, Sean is 51
Sean stood there; back up against the tree so lost in his thoughts he didn't even hear Regina walk up behind him.
"Hey."
Sean jumped, startled. "Oh, it's you…"
"Yeah, it's me. You don't seem so thrilled to see me." Regina moved to sit down on a nearby stone.
Sean sighed and running his hands through his hair, sat down next to her. "Well, no sleep kind of takes away all of my zest for life."
"I'm sorry about Satchel, Sean," Regina whispered softly.
"So am I. I just don't get it!" Sean's voice rose a bit. "How could he do that? Betray us all—Betray me! He seemed so—"
Regina placed her hand on his shoulder, soothingly. "You know it's not your fault. None of us had any idea who…what Satchel really was." She paused for a moment and Sean could sense her hesitation.
"And even if someone did, I would have hotly denied it?" Sean guessed, smiling grimly.
Regina shrugged, obviously trying to appear noncommittal. "That's just you Sean. You never let anyone say anything bad about the people you put trust in."
"Hmpf. Look where that got me—Sirius dead, Satchel a traitor, Harry and his friends nearly got themselves killed because of my trust." He looked at Regina. "My whole life has been nothing but a waste."
"That's not true."
"Yes, it is. I'm 51 years old, Regina and what have I done with my life? Nothing. I'm going to be one of those old miserable bats who has nothing but regrets to look back on."
"So what do you intend to do about that?"
Sean looked at her, a surprised look on his face. "Huh?"
"Well, for as long as I've known you you've never gotten worked up over anything as long as you planned on doing something about it."
Sean fidgeted for a moment, opened his mouth then shut it again, unsure of how to say what he needed to say. Finally, Sean mumbled something under his breath in such a way that Regina couldn't understand it.
"What?"
Taking a deep breath, Sean closed his eyes and repeated it again. "I'm going to marry you?" He kept his eyes closed for a moment, not wanting to see or hear what Regina was going to say but after a few moments of silence passed, he opened one of his eyes cautiously. Regina was looking at him, a look of surprise and amusement written on her face.
"Sean, that has to be one of the strangest marriage proposals I've ever heard."
"You've heard more than one?" Sean managed to choke out.
"Well, now that you mention it, no, I haven't." She studied his face for a moment and smiled. "How could anything have changed Sean so much that he wants to marry? I never thought I'd see the day."
Sean smiled tightly back at her, unsure if he'd been turned down or not. Or had he just been insulted? Maybe it was a compliment…he shook his head to clear it. "So, is that a yes or a no?"
Regina laughed. "It was a question? It sounded more like a child telling a parent how he was going to reform…and leaving room for negotiation. I suppose I will accept. We can negotiate later."
Relief washed over Sean as he took her in his arms. "I was so sure I'd been rejected too."
Regina smiled up at him. "We're not exactly spring chickens here, Sean. How could I turn down the only offer I'm likely to get?"
"Aw, come on Regina. In wizard years, we're at our prime. Dumbledore's a hundred-fifty."
"So, I guess we'll just have to take the next hundred a day at a time, huh?" Regina asked, teasingly.
"Yeah, but with more planning than I normally do." He frowned. "By the way, why did you originally come down here? I know it wasn't to marry me."
"Oh, that…." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a crumpled slip of paper. "It's from the ministry of Magic—about your Yugo."
Sean took it with a puzzled expression on his face. "What have they done to it now?"
"Nothing except for the fact you've finally got diplomatic immunity. They'll never take your car again."
Sean looked at Regina with disbelief. "You mean that after confiscating my car for over 25 years, they're finally giving me diplomatic immunity?"
Regina shrugged. "Hey, that's bureaucracy for you. Better late than never."
"True, I suppose. Well, I guess we'd better go and get the car, then make a date at the chapel."
"Please tell me you don't mean a Las Vegas chapel."
Sean laughed. "Give me a break, Regina, you know I have more class than that."
"I guess so, though sometimes I have my doubts. "
Sean grinned. "Great. Now you're stuck with them."
"It had to happen eventually…"
And they stood up and walked towards the castle, leaving broken dreams and dead regrets behind, concentrating only on what was to come.
Sean stood there; back up against the tree so lost in his thoughts he didn't even hear Regina walk up behind him.
"Hey."
Sean jumped, startled. "Oh, it's you…"
"Yeah, it's me. You don't seem so thrilled to see me." Regina moved to sit down on a nearby stone.
Sean sighed and running his hands through his hair, sat down next to her. "Well, no sleep kind of takes away all of my zest for life."
"I'm sorry about Satchel, Sean," Regina whispered softly.
"So am I. I just don't get it!" Sean's voice rose a bit. "How could he do that? Betray us all—Betray me! He seemed so—"
Regina placed her hand on his shoulder, soothingly. "You know it's not your fault. None of us had any idea who…what Satchel really was." She paused for a moment and Sean could sense her hesitation.
"And even if someone did, I would have hotly denied it?" Sean guessed, smiling grimly.
Regina shrugged, obviously trying to appear noncommittal. "That's just you Sean. You never let anyone say anything bad about the people you put trust in."
"Hmpf. Look where that got me—Sirius dead, Satchel a traitor, Harry and his friends nearly got themselves killed because of my trust." He looked at Regina. "My whole life has been nothing but a waste."
"That's not true."
"Yes, it is. I'm 51 years old, Regina and what have I done with my life? Nothing. I'm going to be one of those old miserable bats who has nothing but regrets to look back on."
"So what do you intend to do about that?"
Sean looked at her, a surprised look on his face. "Huh?"
"Well, for as long as I've known you you've never gotten worked up over anything as long as you planned on doing something about it."
Sean fidgeted for a moment, opened his mouth then shut it again, unsure of how to say what he needed to say. Finally, Sean mumbled something under his breath in such a way that Regina couldn't understand it.
"What?"
Taking a deep breath, Sean closed his eyes and repeated it again. "I'm going to marry you?" He kept his eyes closed for a moment, not wanting to see or hear what Regina was going to say but after a few moments of silence passed, he opened one of his eyes cautiously. Regina was looking at him, a look of surprise and amusement written on her face.
"Sean, that has to be one of the strangest marriage proposals I've ever heard."
"You've heard more than one?" Sean managed to choke out.
"Well, now that you mention it, no, I haven't." She studied his face for a moment and smiled. "How could anything have changed Sean so much that he wants to marry? I never thought I'd see the day."
Sean smiled tightly back at her, unsure if he'd been turned down or not. Or had he just been insulted? Maybe it was a compliment…he shook his head to clear it. "So, is that a yes or a no?"
Regina laughed. "It was a question? It sounded more like a child telling a parent how he was going to reform…and leaving room for negotiation. I suppose I will accept. We can negotiate later."
Relief washed over Sean as he took her in his arms. "I was so sure I'd been rejected too."
Regina smiled up at him. "We're not exactly spring chickens here, Sean. How could I turn down the only offer I'm likely to get?"
"Aw, come on Regina. In wizard years, we're at our prime. Dumbledore's a hundred-fifty."
"So, I guess we'll just have to take the next hundred a day at a time, huh?" Regina asked, teasingly.
"Yeah, but with more planning than I normally do." He frowned. "By the way, why did you originally come down here? I know it wasn't to marry me."
"Oh, that…." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a crumpled slip of paper. "It's from the ministry of Magic—about your Yugo."
Sean took it with a puzzled expression on his face. "What have they done to it now?"
"Nothing except for the fact you've finally got diplomatic immunity. They'll never take your car again."
Sean looked at Regina with disbelief. "You mean that after confiscating my car for over 25 years, they're finally giving me diplomatic immunity?"
Regina shrugged. "Hey, that's bureaucracy for you. Better late than never."
"True, I suppose. Well, I guess we'd better go and get the car, then make a date at the chapel."
"Please tell me you don't mean a Las Vegas chapel."
Sean laughed. "Give me a break, Regina, you know I have more class than that."
"I guess so, though sometimes I have my doubts. "
Sean grinned. "Great. Now you're stuck with them."
"It had to happen eventually…"
And they stood up and walked towards the castle, leaving broken dreams and dead regrets behind, concentrating only on what was to come.
