Numbuh 7
by Me!:)
Claimer: I own KND. Yes, really. It was finalised this morning.
Author's Note: Hey! Hopefully you guys have all had an awesome 4-and-a-bit months without me and the ending to that cliffy. Apparently I've improved, so I'm feeling pretty chuffed about that. :P
Just as a bit of harmless self-advertising, I'm letting you guys know that I also post original stuff on . I'm Pretty Princess Lollipop34 there as well for those of you that actually want to check it out.
Anyways, less speaky, more story...
He's gone to see her today. For the first time in about two and a half years. He's been looking forward to it ever since the day I let my heart get the best of me and said he could. She was more comfortable with him than she was with 'you-know-who', so I'm sure she'd love to see him just as much. While part of me knows it would kill him if I told him he shouldn't, I feel incredibly worried. For him, for me and most importantly... for her.
Don't get me wrong, I'd love to go see her. I'd love to hold her in my arms and tell her exactly how much she's been missed. Then I'd lower her down and gently take her tiny hand in mine as the three of us walked home. This is exactly how I picture our reunion. It's what helps me get to sleep at night. But when I open my eyes the next morning, the bubble bursts as I realise this can never be.
I'm not allowed.
There'd be trouble if I ever tried. Neighbours would talk. Rumours would spread. And knowing the big mouths everyone has around here, the police would want to have words with me in a matter of hours. They'd take her away. I couldn't bear for that to happen.
Not again.
***
No one spoke. After a quick nod from their leader told them it was okay, the four other operatives sat in the time machine. Unlike the version they were used to, Lara's modified Mini Cooper (with rockets) had a back seat big enough for four of them. Nigel, completely frightened of anything Lara might do in a spur of frustration, was unlucky enough to be left with the passenger seat.
A key was placed in the ignition and turned to the left with a firm grip. The engine purred softly as a series of buttons on the dashboard were pressed. A woman's voice asked for the time they wanted to travel to.
"January 15th , 2036, 2:30 pm, Drilovsky's Care Home." Lara snapped back.
"Affirmative," the woman's voice replied. "Setting course for-"
"January. Fifteen. Twenty. Thirty. Six. Two. Thirty. P.M. Drilovsky's. Care. Home."
After a robotic sounding male voice had repeated back the destination, the time machine started to vibrate. Lara didn't start flipping out, so everyone just assumed that this was supposed to happen. Being behind the wheel again felt great. It gave Lara a sense of freedom that she currently lacked. Like she had the power to decide exactly where she was going to go.
Then, faster than you could say, "Super Speedy Rainbow Monkeys", everything went black.
***
She doesn't know that he's going to see her. He says that she'll enjoy it more if it's a surprise. She probably gets that from me I guess.
I've always loved surprises, and he's always loved to give them. I still remember the day he gave me one of the biggest surprises of all as if it were yesterday...
The two of us had been having a bit of a row. I don't think I could tell you for the life of me what it was about, but it was probably something ridiculous, like me finding his 'secret' Rainbow Monkey collection or something. I was sitting cross-legged on my bed, with my head in my hands. It was lucky that I had taken my little angel to stay with her grandmother for a day, because I wouldn't have wanted her to have seen me like this.
My mobile phone buzzed. I had received a text from him, " Meet me park 7:30. We need 2 tlk."
Oh, God. I checked the clock on my phone. 6:45pm. The park wasn't too far away, so I had just about enough time to put on some make-up and do my hair. I walked through the door at 7:10. Fearing the worst, I made my slow walk to the park.
I didn't see him at first. It was dark outside already, and my eyesight isn't what it once was. After a few minutes, I managed to spot him on a bench. He seemed to have noticed me too, so I gave a friendly wave as I made my way over to him.
He looked nervous, as if he was deciding whether to break up with me gently, or to just dump me on the spot. I'm not sure which I thought he was more likely to do, but I definitely didn't expect him to say;
"Come walk with me."
A little puzzled, I obliged. He had his hands stuffed in his jacket pockets, and was gazing up at the sky as we walked. I wondered if he was taking me somewhere perhaps. Or if this was just walking for fun. At the moment, it felt anything but.
Suddenly, he stopped. He smiled and held out his hand for me to hold. I grasped it in mine, and then he started to pull me towards the children's playground. What was he doing? We were in our early twenties! We didn't go to these kind of places anymore!
"You'll see dear, you'll see." he murmured softly.
Dang. I must've said all that out loud.
As I looked around, I realised that there were areas I recognised. I'd probably played here when I was a kid, but for some reason, my life before I turned thirteen seems like a big blur.
We came to the swings. Ah, yes! I remembered these very well. The two of us had first laid eyes on each other here when we were about thirteen or fourteen. When we'd met, we both felt like we'd known each other for years. About a year later, we'd shared our first kiss at the same spot. I really loved him, and I can't believe I was stupid enough to... ugh. It makes me feel like an idiot just thinking about it.
I'd been lucky enough to have a second chance with him, but I thought that that chance was now slowly fading away. He let go of my hand for a second, so he could sit down on one of the swings. He used his legs to push himself off the ground, and then began to move back and forth gently. He motioned to the the swing next to him. I sat down.
A surge of hot anger raced through me suddenly. Why was he being so secretive? My mother warned me about men that did things like this. There were a million and one questions I wanted to ask, but there was only one that seemed to stick out.
"Why are you breaking up with me?"
He stopped the swing abruptly. "What?"
I was furious. "You heard me! Why are you breaking up with me? Why here? Why now?"
A stream of tears began to pour down my face. He gazed at me and smiled. He tried to hold me, but I held firm.
"Don't try that with me! If you hate me so much, why'd you have t-"
"Sweetheart, let me jus-"
"No! I haven't finished! I'm not going to let you break up with me, not after all I've been thro-"
"Please, just shut up!", he half-yelled.
I calmed down a little after that. He sighed.
"Look, darling. It's not that I hate you, it's just that I don't want a girlfriend."
I bit my lip to stop me from crying out.
"I understand.", I stammered through gritted teeth.
I got up to leave, but he took hold of my hand.
"No, you don't. I don't want a girlfriend... because I want a wife."
My heart leaped. "...W-w-w-hat?"
He jumped off the swing and got down on one knee. The tears that had only just dried up a few seconds ago were now coming out of my eyes in trickles. He was still holding my hand, and was fishing in one of his pockets for something. He smiled as he produced a small, black box from one of them. I almost screamed with excitement.
"Darling, I love you. And I would be honoured to have you as my bride."
He opened the box. I gasped.
It was empty.
He turned the box back towards him. Blinking in disbelief, he cursed.
"I must have taken it out to have a look at it before I walked over... it's probably somewhere on my kitchen top now! Why am I always this stupid?"
He sat down, crossing his legs. He reminded me of a toddler that had had his favourite toy taken from him. It was enough to break my heart. Still, I sat down on the ground next to him and smiled.
"I'm sure it was a beautiful ring."
Nothing.
"And... I bet most guys wouldn't have been this creative with their proposal."
" I bet most guys wouldn't have forgotten the ring."
I sighed. "Well, you've never been most guys. You're smart, you're funny when you don't try to be and you've got such lovable flaws. Like your completely unclordonic jokes..."
I picked up the box he had left on the ground.
"And your forgetfulness. Now, was there something you were going to ask me?"
A small grin burst across his face. He held the open box in his hand, and got down on one knee. Gripping onto my hand, he asked that wonderful question:
"Abigail Lincoln, will you marry me?"
The tears had returned. "Of course I will!"
He slipped an imaginary ring on the fourth finger of my left hand. It fit perfectly.
After getting back onto his feet, we kissed. "Mrs. Abigail Gilligan... that has a very nice ring to it!", he joked.
I smiled. Things were finally looking up for me. I was engaged to the man of my dreams, my daughter, Lara, was getting the father she always wanted and I had a funny story to tell her when she was older! Life didn't get much better than that.
We walked out of the park with our arms wrapped around each other. I was still blissfully unaware that HE was at my mother's house...
Ooo, cliffy! I was actually listening to 'Thnks Fr Th Mmrs' (Thanks For The Memories) by Fall Out Boy while I was writing this... how ironic. xP
Reviewers get virtual lollipops! :)
Lots of hugs,
O- Lollipop
P.S. If you're a little slow today and actually believe that I own KND, I suggest you see a therapist.
P.P.S. I mean it.
