Box

Kat stares at it with a vaguely horrified and anticipatory expression. She didn't mean to happen upon it. She was clearing out her night table drawers so Doggie could move into one of them. She rarely uses them anyway...perhaps that's why she has found this in the first place.

It is a tiny, blue box, shiny, with a white ribbon around it. She recognizes it, too; this box is what one gets from the only store in NewTech that carries specialty engagement sets. This box holds an engagement ring, almost undoubtedly. Plus, she x–rayed it and found the definable shape of a ring. It was a way to find if it was a bomb or not without spoiling the potential surprise.

Now, though, she has to find something to do with it. She can't pretend she hasn't found it, it's quite clear that she was going to. So...she tells Doggie?...she pretends she hasn't cleared the drawers yet?...she asks him about it directly?—GAH! The worst part is that she's paranoid about what has brought this on. Did he ask her to clear him a drawer so she would find the ring or did he forget it was in there? Is it even for her (this is a more farfetched question)?

"Kat?"

Kat jumps off her bed and sees Doggie with a small box of things in his arms. Mostly his own alarm clock (the alarm is a frequency just for his ears, like hers is made for her hearing), the Shadow morpher, and maybe some other personal affects. "Doggie, I was just, um, clearing out the drawers."

"Yes," he nods and comes in. "Find anything interesting?"

"Did I?"

Her question is so sudden Doggie looks at her. She seems anxious, fiddling with her claws. He smiles gently at her. "Well, Kat, do you think you found something?"

"I found...a box," she begins with trepidation. With one smooth movement she sweeps the box into her hand.

"Yes," he says again, still smiling. "Did you look inside the box?"

"I x–rayed it," she blurts out, cursing herself for her nerves."

"Well, then," Doggie takes the box and gets down on one knee, enjoying how a gasp sweeps out of Kat and forces her to sit on the bed. "Katherine, you are my other half, the one who completes me, and my true mate. If you would do me the honor of spending every day of the rest of our lives with me, I'd like to try and make you half as happy as you make me. If I am deserving of the honor of having you love me, I might be able to help you see how much more I love you."

"Doggie," Kat whispers, tears streaming.

"Katherine," Doggie opens the box, "will you marry me?"

The ring inside is gleaming white gold, knotting around a tasteful diamond in a Celtic trinity knot design, symbolizing eternity. It slips onto her finger and fits to it like a second skin. She sits crying silently.

"You need to actually answer me, Kat," he teases her as he touches his nose to hers.

Kat giggles a little and smiles down at him, "yes, I will marry you, my stubborn, old dog."

Doggie says nothing more but licks her cheeks free of her tears of joy. She purrs into him and he continues nuzzling her. His favorite sound in the world is her purring, not only because of how peaceful and comforting it is, but also because it means that she is content. He moves from nuzzling her to giving her a light kiss, then another. She returns each kiss with sweetness.

"Did she say yes?!" a muffled shout of Z comes, with murmurs from her teammates.

Doggie and Kat just chuckle to each other and continue their affection; B–Squad can wait.