I DO NOT OWN THE RIGHTS TO THE NCIS:LA CHARACTERS, ONLY MY OWN.
After dinner, while Sam and Callen joined their table mates at the bar, Michelle and Marnie stood with their wives or dates and casually talked. Sam and Callen both had a drink in each hand on the way back to the table. Suddenly, Callen stopped when he saw Marnie, looking at her side profile was beautiful. Sam nearly ran into him. "Damn it G." He growled.
"Look at her, Sam." Callen said watching Marnie laugh and smile.
"Yes G, Marnie looks fantastic. Are you ever going to pop the question?" Sam asked.
In the background a familiar song began playing. Callen watched Marnie stop talking as she listened to the song as she searched the room for him. Callen walked towards the table and set the drinks down before he walked towards Marnie. He walked up behind her and smiled at Michelle before gently brushing his lips across Marnie's ear and down her neck.
"Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?" He asked as he took her gloved hand and led her to the dance floor.
Marnie wrapped her arms around his neck and laced her fingers as he held her around the waist. "Not in the last five minutes." She smiled lovingly. "I was wondering if you'd some find me for this song."
Callen listened and recalled the first time they'd heard the song together. It was the evening before Thanksgiving, he and Marnie were laying on the couch watching the kids sleep when the song came on the radio. Carefully he climbed over the back of the couch, pulled her over and held her as they danced in the dining room.
In a low voice; like he did every time they heard the song; Callen began to sing to her. "I'll be your crying shoulder, I'll be love's suicide. I'll be better when I'm older, I'll be the greatest fan of your life." Marnie ran her fingers across his cheek, over his ear and down the back of his neck as she smiled at him. "And rain falls angry on the tin roof as we lie awake in my bed. You're my survival, you're my living proof. My love is alive and not dead. Tell me that we belong together. Dress it up with the trappings of love. I'll be captivated, I'll hang from your lips, instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above."
Callen slowly walked her off the dance floor and took her hand, leading her away from the crowd. Without a word, they wound their way through the dining tent and into the gardens. They stopped for a moment in a darkened area and stole a kiss until they were interrupted by an older woman returning from the ladies room. Under her breathe, she croaked and told them to get a room. With an embarrassed giggle, they wandered deeper into the garden until they came to a secluded patio.
Marnie shivered as they stood face to face. Callen took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. "No, let's just go inside where it's warmer." Marnie said as Callen captured her lips with his. Sam and Michelle followed and watched from the shadows.
"I need to talk to you about something." Callen smiled.
Still clueless, Marnie smiled. "And what would that be?" She asked kissing him softly as he tried to speak.
Callen pushed her away and focused on her eyes. "I had everything I wanted to say to you until you walked out of the bedroom in that dress tonight. Every time I look at you, I lose every single thought in my head." He laughed. "How I'm even able to spit out a coherent sentence is beyond me."
Marnie leaned up and pressed her lips to his. "It doesn't matter what you say at this point, the only thing I can think of right now is how much I love you."
Callen smiled and ran his hands down her arms to her hands. He slowly lifted her left hand and began pulling on one finger at a time until the glove slid off her hand freely. Callen tossed the glove over his shoulder and reached in his pocket, carefully prying the box open. With the ring on his index finger, he closed the box and pushed the ring off his finger with his thumb. Grabbing the ring again, he pulled his hand from his pocket and held the ring tightly. Before Marnie knew it, Callen had slipped the ring on her finger.
"I love you more than I ever imagined possible. I love Callie, Alec and Avery. I love your parent's like I would've loved my own. I want to be a part of your family. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine I would fall so completely in love with the girl I kissed in the closet thirty-one years ago." He said as he dropped to one knee. Without missing a beat he continued. "I want to be able to kiss you every day for the next thirty-one years. Marnie will you marry me?"
She didn't look at the ring, she merely bent over and kissed him. "Yes, I'll marry you."
Callen jumped to his feet and bent her backwards, kissing her sweetly as a light snow began to fall. Sam had shed his jacket and given it to Michelle. With her head resting on his chest, they watched as Callen finally gave himself completely to one person. "Finally." Sam said before Michelle looked up at him.
Marnie held him tightly as they swayed back and forth dancing to no music. "Have you even looked at the ring?" He laughed.
"I don't care what the ring looks like." She told him. "I have you and that's all I really care about."
Callen shivered as the snowflakes got bigger, heavier and wetter. "Let's head inside before one of the two of us catch our death out here." He said holding her one last time, kissing her shoulder.
Marnie heard twigs snapping and looked towards the sound. Two figures darted back towards the tents. "I think we had an audience." She laughed.
With Callen's jacket over their heads, they ran for the tents. Michelle and Sam stood by the entrance near one of the tall patio heaters. As soon as Michelle saw Marnie, she bolted over to her, hugging her. "So let's see it?" Michelle asked with her hand out.
Marnie got her first good look at the ring as she held her hand out to Michelle. "Oh my Lord G." she gasped and looked over her shoulder at him.
"I told you to look at it." He said walking to her side and shaking Sam's hand.
"It's beautiful, what kind of cut is it?" Michelle asked.
"Square step-cut." Callen told her. "The cut of the stone is supposed to draw your eye to the center of the stone."
"It's absolutely beautiful." Michelle said hugging both of them.
As the evening wore on, Callen and Marnie didn't leave one another's side and in fact spent the majority of the evening on the dance floor or in the corner kissing. The woman who'd told them to get a room earlier watched from her table. Finally having enough of their public display of affection, she approached them. With her arms crossed over her chest and a stern look on her face, she stood before them tapping her toe.
"Excuse me, I'm getting really tired of the two of you being stuck together at the lips." She groused.
Callen cleared his throat and pushed Marnie off his lap as he stood. "I apologize ma'am. I've just asked this beautiful woman to marry me."
The hard look on the woman's face eased to a smile. "Is that so?" She asked with a wink at Marnie. "And how did you propose? Was it a proper proposal?"
"Yes it was." Marnie grinned. "One knee and everything."
"Well good, I take it you've accepted?" She asked smiling warmly at them now.
"I have." Marnie nodded and held her hand out to show her the ring.
"I must say it's absolutely beautiful. I will let your inappropriate display of affection slide." She laughed. "I do wish you the very best."
"Thank you." Callen nodded and watched her walk away. He turned back to Marnie and laced his fingers at the small of her back. "What do you think future Mrs. Callen, should we be getting back to the hotel? I'm sure the kids are anxiously awaiting our return."
"They knew?" Marnie asked with an ear-to-ear grin.
"Of course, I had to ask their permission. I asked your Dad about a month ago." He laughed and led her back towards the table where Sam and Michelle sat talking with a friend they'd run into.
"I assume they gave you permission?" She asked.
Callen stopped and faced her. "I already knew I had Avery's blessing since she asked Santa to have us either be married or engaged Christmas morning. Callie and Alec, I was pretty sure I was going to get their blessing too, but I wasn't prepared for the reaction I got."
Marnie tilted her head to the side and frowned a bit. "What happened?"
"Alec burst into tears, then Callie cried and of course because the other two were sobbing, Avery was too."
"They love you G." Marnie said patting his cheek. "You've shown them more love and attention than their father ever has. They feel safe with you and know that you'll do anything to protect us. They know what their father's all about. You're completely different than Jason. He could never come close to being the man you are."
Callen gave her a crooked smile as he kissed her hand. "I'd do anything for all of you, your parents included."
"I know you would and have. We're in New York City for Christmas. Jason wouldn't even do that for his own mother." Marnie laughed as they walked on towards the table.
The four sat in the back of the car talking quietly. The topic of conversation, of course was their engagement and wedding. Everyone knew the wedding had to happen soon. Callen had something in mind and would discuss it with Sam and Michelle when they got back to California. Until then, Marnie asked Michelle to be her Matron of Honor while Callen of course asked Sam to be his Best Man. Both eagerly accepted.
When they pulled up to the hotel, the bell hop pulled the door open. Michelle and Sam got out followed by Callen and Marnie. The snow had continued to fall so they quickly ran up the stairs and into the lobby. Even at two in the morning, there were quite a number of guests milling about the lobby. Everyone looked up at the click of the high heels on the tile floors. With Marnie tucked under his arm, Callen stopped at the front desk and ordered bottles of Champagne and Sparkling Apple Cider to be sent to their suite. With a nod from the young woman at the desk they headed for the elevators and up to their rooms.
After Sam and Michelle had gotten off on the eighth floor, Callen pinned Marnie against the wall. "I'm surprised you didn't get us a room for tonight." Marnie smiled.
"I almost did, but I'm pretty sure the kids are waiting up for us." He laughed, leaning into her.
"Thank you so much for today." Marnie said smiling up at him. "It was absolutely magical."
Callen brushed his thumb across her cheekbone before he kissed her softly. "It was beyond my pleasure. You look absolutely beautiful in that dress. I only hope you look just as beautiful in your wedding dress."
Marnie sighed and smiled at him. "You really are something, G."
"I'm a keeper?" He asked playfully.
She nodded and giggled like a school girl. "Yes you're definitely a keeper. I'm never letting you go."
The doors opened and they walked towards their room. He leaned with his ear on the door and listened for activity. To his surprise, he heard nothing and slid his key card through the lock. When he pushed the door open, the lights were off with the exception of the light over the bar in the dining room and at the entry. Quietly he closed the door and pulled Marnie to him, kissing her till she was light headed. A light rap on the door broke the kiss. A younger man pushed a cart with ice buckets holding the bottles of champagne and cider. Champagne flutes clanked as he rolled over the threshold.
"Should I get the kids?" Marnie asked.
"No, let me get them. You get your parents." He smiled and kissed her before she walked away.
Marnie walked past the guest room to the master bedroom and knocked lightly on the door. Immediately her father's voice rang out. "Come on in."
Marnie twisted the knob and pushed the door open. To her surprise, Annette sat in the armchair wide awake while the three kids laid out of the floor watching a movie. "Hey guys." She smiled with her hands behind her back.