Destined Encounters
Part Ten
Sixteenth Encounter:
A month and a half later, they had checked out of the hotel and were back to school. I still made enough time for them to be together. Their professors were shocked at having the assignments in relatively early due them doing the work while still at the hotel.
How was Quinn feeling?
Quinn was doing wonderful. She got off the medication quickly and her leg continued to heal nicely.
How were Santana and Quinn?
They fell more and more in love with each other every day. Santana had been seriously thinking about proposing to Quinn. And she almost did on more than one occasion.
"It has to be perfect…it has to be memorable," she told herself which I listened to.
One day Santana was at the library trying to finish a term paper, the last one of the semester. She was eight pages into it and only needed two more. She thought that she'd finish it at another time.
I suddenly got an idea for how to propose to Quinn. I made Santana enter the website to one of those family tree websites where if you enter your last name and some information the website is supposed to come up with your family tree.
"Why not?" she though as she typed in "Fabray". She followed all of the instructions and in a few minutes, Quinn's family tree was in front of her. There weren't any photos, but the names were there. The most important part to Santana was that her biological mother and father were listed. They were Judy Fabray and Russell Black. Apparently Quinn's biological mother chose for Quinn to keep her last name of Fabray instead of having Quinn take her biological father's name.
After printing it out, Santana opened another window on the Internet. She went to Google, and search "Judy Fabray'. It found one search result because Fabray isn't really a common name. Santana clicked on the link and it required the user to pay a fee before being allowed to view the information. Santana didn't hesitate at all. She pulled out her credit card and entered all the information necessary. Within a few minutes, she saw Quinn's mother's location and telephone number. She wanted, with every fiber of her being, to call her. She decided not to because that wasn't her place. She didn't want to force Quinn into something she didn't want.
Instead she opened the PowerPoint program and created a slideshow. Santana wanted to use a font style that was close to her impeccable handwriting. Once she was satisfied with her selection she used the first slide as a title page. The next slide, she wrote:
"To know where you're going…you have to know where you began!"
She looked at how many people were in Quinn's family tree and decided how to divvy them up for each page. For Quinn's ancestors, Santana found old pictures of olden time people from different periods of history. She cut and pasted the photos into the slideshow. With each new page, she typed:
"Not the actual person, but they wish they were!"
And other funny lines like "They had a hand in helping you to be born. They are so freakin' lucky!"
Right before Santana created the slide for Quinn's mother and father she created a slide that simply read:
"These two people created the most beautiful creature I've ever seen!"
When she got to Quinn's mother and father's information she searched her phone's photo gallery and found a close up photo of Quinn. She sent it to herself in an e-mail and within minutes it appeared in her e-mail on the library computer. She cut the photo from the e-mail and pasted in the center of the page. She typed both her parents' names on either side of Quinn's photo. She even included Quinn's mother's contact information.
Just before the last page, Santana wrote:
"I know this isn't the end of the Fabray family tree, but I hope..."
The next and final slide read:
"I hope it continues with me!"
She wanted the caption to be in a circle and she masterfully found the option. She enlarged the text so that she'd be able to tape the ring in the middle of that page.
She screamed loudly and happily, "Holy shit! I'm proposing!"
Some people turned to look at her, but she didn't care.
Santana pulled out her cell phone and created a group text.
It's time! I'm proposing TONIGHT!
Within seconds her cell phone buzzed.
First it was her grandmother. That's wonderful news. Make me proud, Santana!
Then Brittany chimed in. Bout time already…geez…deets after you do 'it'!
Then her mother texted, "Congrats! Me and Papi are so proud of you. Call us after."
Tossing the phone into her purse, Santana looked at the project to make sure everything was to her liking. Deciding that it was, she printed the slide show and told herself to go to get a beautiful binder before going back to her dorm.
Santana raced to the nearest Staples and found a binder that looked like an old fashioned book. She also bought the plastic cover sleeves to put each page in.
After, she hailed a cab and within minutes she was in her dorm room. She rushed to her dresser where she kept her grandmother's engagement ring. She took it out of the box and taped it to the very last page. Then she put all the pages into sleeves and into the binder.
Even though she knew it was during the school week, she pulled out her cell phone and texted Quinn.
I need to see you tonight, if you can get away. I love you. – S.
She sent it and within a second, she read, "See you at five! Love you too!"
Santana jumped up and down.
Santana had five hours before her proposal so she ran to the florist and got a dozen red-stemmed roses. Next she raced to the grocery store and picked up a bottle of champagne using a fake I.D. She used it only for very important occasions and this was definitely one of them.
She ran back to her dorm and finished the last term paper of her semester and then showered. By the time she dried her hair, it was four, thirty. After she got dressed she pulled the roses out of the vase she had put them in and created a walkway from the door to the seat where she wanted Quinn to sit down.
She practiced what she was going to say. All of a sudden, there was a knock on the door. She lowered the lights and opened the door.
"Hey," Quinn said calmly as her eyesight was only on Santana.
Hey," Santana said and kissed her passionately.
After the kiss, Quinn threw her bag down and walked into the room. Quinn noticed the roses on the floor. She began to get excited and nervous.
"San, what's going on?"
"I made something for you," Santana said and led her to the chair. "Please sit."
Quinn sat down. Santana handed her the book with the title that read:
"The making of Quinn Fabray!"
Quinn held it tenderly in her petite hands. She opened the first page and smiled. She kept smiling and laughing until she got to the last two pages. When she saw her mother and father's information she gasped. "Is this for real?"
Santana nodded her head. Quinn looked and found her mother's contact information was there too.
"Is this really her number?"
"Yes, Sweetheart, it is. It's there just in case you ever want to use it," Santana said lovingly.
As Quinn turned the page, Santana got down on her bended knee. Quinn's eyes bulged out of her head when she saw the ring.
"Santana," Quinn said shocked.
Santana then pulled the page out of the sleeve and untapped the ring.
As she held the ring in the air in front of Quinn, Santana said, "Quinn Fabray, I love you with every fiber of my being. I love you wholeheartedly and every day of my life. I want to spend the rest of it with you, if you'll allow me to...So, Quinn, Sweetheart…will you please marry me?"
Santana held the ring up higher as she finished her proposal.
"YESSS! Of course. It's all I've wanted since we first met, Baby! Please put that ring on my finger," Quinn said with tears in her eyes.
Santana smiled widely. "I love you!"
Let me tell you about the ring. Geez! It was her grandmother's so it was vintage. The band was white gold and had diamonds that began halfway on it. The larger diamond rested atop a circle of diamonds. The whole ring had a whopping thirty-eight white diamonds. It was magnificent!
So before Santana slid the ring, which fit perfectly, onto Quinn's shaking and waiting ring finger, she leaned up and sweetly kissed her. As they kissed, Santana slid the ring further and further onto Quinn's finger. Santana stopped pushing when she felt Quinn's finger end. They broke the kiss and Quinn catapulted into Santana's opened arms.
"Oh my God, Santana, we're getting married," Quinn exclaimed proudly.
"Yes, Sweetheart, we are. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for accepting my heartfelt proposal," Santana said and squeezed Quinn tighter.
"How could I not have? Really, San."
Quinn wiggled out of Santana's embrace to say, "Santana, you make me so very happy. I love you so very much. Thank you for sticking by me through it all. I know for sure, right here, right now, that I'm gonna love you for the rest of my life…and then eons and eons after!"
Quinn grabbed Santana's face and pulled her up. When they were inches apart Quinn connected their lips in another sweet kiss. While in the kiss, Santana somehow brought her body to a standing position. She broke the kiss to pick Quinn up and twirl her around a few times. Their eyes never left each other.
Watching from above, I had tears in my eyes. I was so happy for them.
"Yay!" I exclaimed so loudly that my throat kind of hurt after, but I didn't care.
Just then Happiness knocked on the door.
"Come in," I yelled happily.
"Hey, Destiny," Happiness said.
"Hey, Happiness, how are you?"
"Not as good as you, I see," he said.
"Yea, I'm overjoyed. I feel blessed to have helped them this far. I can't wait to see what happens next for them," I said.
"I just wanted to say that you're doing great," Happiness said with a smile.
"Thank you," I replied.
He smiled once more before he walked out of my office.
Back on Earth, Santana and Quinn were still hugging each other.
"Santana, I love you so much…" Quinn said with love in her voice.
"Not more than I love you. Oh by the way, that's my grandmother's engagement ring," Santana said and looked down at Quinn's finger.
"No way," Quinn said surprised.
"Yea, the last day they were at the hospital, she threw the box at me as the elevator doors were closing. I looked at it and was shocked. I want to call her and then my parents and then Britt…is that alright," Santana asked nervously.
"Yep, of course," Quinn said and smiled. Santana ran to get her phone. She unlocked it and found her grandmother's phone number. She hit the number and put it on speaker.
"Hola!"
"Hi, Abuelita…"
"Hi, Santana…well…"
"She said yes!"
"Si!"
Quinn chuckled when she heard the response.
"Oh, hello, Quinn," Santana's grandmother said.
"Hola," Quinn replied.
"So, Santana, how'd you do it?"
"Can I tell her Sweetheart," Santana asked Quinn.
"Of course…San, family first," Quinn said.
"Well, now you're family," her grandmother chimed in.
"Thank you," Santana said happily and raised her hands up. Quinn poked her.
"Anyway, I made Quinn a book about her heritage. I found the information on the Internet!"
"And, she wrote cute little descriptions," Quinn interjected.
"Who's telling this story," Santana asked and folded her arms across her chest.
"You're taking too long," Quinn teased. Santana had a shocked expression on her face, but she smiled a second later.
"Hahahahaha!" Santana's grandmother burst out in laughter. "She's gonna fit in just fine!"
"Anyway, the last two pages were her mother and father's names and her mother's phone number. The caption read, 'These two people created the most beautiful creature I've ever seen!' The last page read, 'I know this isn't the end of the Fabray family tree, but I hope...I hope it continues with me!'"
"Your beyond gorgeous ring, ma'am, was sitting right in the middle of the page surrounded by Santana's words," Quinn said happily.
"Quinn, stop with the ma'am business…you're making me feel old. Call me 'grandma' or 'Abuelita', if you can pronounce it. Or even Alma…Call me anything you like. We're gonna be family…Does it fit?"
"Perfectly," Santana said and sounded shocked at her grandmother's kind gesture to Quinn.
"I'm glad," she said, "Congratulations, you two…let me know when you've planned more. Santana, hacerla felizpara el resto desu vida!"
"I intend to," Santana said, "Te amo!"
"Si! Te amo!" Abuelita said before she hung up the phone.
"What did she say," Quinn asked shyly.
Santana pulled Quinn onto her lap and said, "Make her happy for the rest of her life!"
Quinn pecked Santana's lips quickly and handed her the phone again.
"Two more then we cuddle. I'm staying tonight so deal with it," Quinn said and smiled.
"Already dealt with it," Santana said and smiled. She dialed her home phone number and her father picked up on the third ring.
"Santana, you're calling because you proposed right," her father said excitedly.
"Of course, Papi!"
"MARIA!"
"Santana, you proposed?"
"Yes, Mami!"
"Wonderful! Quinn," Santana's mother said.
"Yes, Maria," she said hesitantly.
"Welcome to the family," Maria said.
"I second it," her Dad said, "And call me Victor! No more 'Dr. Lopez'!"
"Ok. Thank you," Quinn said happily.
"We gotta go call Britt and then I'm taking her out to celebrate!" Santana said and Quinn smiled shyly at her.
"Congratulations again you two. We are very happy for you," Maria said.
"Thank you," Santana and Quinn said in unison.
After they hung up the phone.
"Ok, now the fun call!" Santana said after she kissed Quinn.
She dialed Brittany's number and the call went through.
"Hello," Brittany said.
"WHAZZUPPP?!" Santana yelled into the phone.
"WHAZZUPPP?!" Brittany yelled back.
"What's going down, B?"
"Nuttin much, just chillaxing…before my night class yo!"
Quinn looked at Santana and mouthed, "Who are you?" She smiled brightly.
"My fiancée just asked me who I was!" Santana said and chuckled.
"Hi, Quinnie…wait…your what?"
"Her fiancée!" Quinn said into the phone excitedly.
"Awesome sauce!" Brittany screamed.
"Thanks, B!"
"When your semester is over come on up here and you can see Santana's Abuelita's ring in person," Quinn said.
"Shit! She gave you her ring, S?"
"Yea, when you were leaving in the elevator. She threw the box at me, remember?"
"Oh yea, duh! My summer starts in a few weeks so before I go home I might crash at your dorm!"
"You're always welcome," Quinn said.
"Aww, thank you Quinnie…I'll let you go to get your sweet, 'we just got engaged' lady kisses on!"
"Haha! That's funny," Santana said and Quinn pretended to look shocked.
"Yea, please!" Quinn said with a chuckle.
"She can't keep her hands off me," Santana joked.
"SANTANA!" Quinn yelled and slapped the back of Santana's head.
"Um, oww, I rest my case!"
"Geez, you two…peaceout," Brittany said.
"Peaceout. Luv ya," Santana said.
"Right back at cha!" Brittany said and then hung up.
Quinn was preoccupied with staring at her ring when Santana wrapped her two arms around her.
"Hmm," Quinn said as she relaxed against her fiancée.
"So you really like the ring? We could get you another one, but it won't be for some time," Santana said quickly.
Quinn turned to face Santana while still in the hug. "I absolutely, positively, wholeheartedly love my gorgeous, family heirloom ring. Speaking of it being a family heirloom, are you absolutely, positively, wholeheartedly sure that I'm the one you want to give it to?"
Santana looked directly into Quinn's eyes and said, "I am so sure that this ring is sitting in the perfect spot for it…on your beautiful finger. I…love…you…"
They moved their heads towards each other and kissed sweetly.
Author's Note:
The ring I described is an actual beautiful ring. If you'd like to see it send me a PM and I'll see about sending you to the website where I found it or sending you the actual photo and description.