"You promise you haven't told anyone about this?"
Penelope shook her head.
"Of course I haven't, you asked me not to. And really, it's none of my business, is it?"
John smiled, tucking the package away in his pocket. "Of course it's your business, you're part of our family just as any of us are."
"Well that's very nice of you to think so. Will you have some tea with me before you return?"
He nodded, taking a seat on the sofa opposite her. "Sure, tea would be nice."
She smiled, picking up the pot to pour. "I'll be mother, and while I pour you can tell me all about your plans."
Selene stood in front of her wardrobe, naked apart from a towel wrapped around her wet hair. What did one wear when they didn't know where they were going? John had simply told her to be ready to go by five. She'd told him the week before that it was winter solstice soon and that she was planning on attending a local event but he had persuaded her to cancel her plans and let him take her somewhere instead.
John, in typical John fashion, had been researching everything there was to know about paganism, asking her endless questions about her beliefs and what she did, finding it fascinating. So she trusted him when he said that he had it handled. They were spending Christmas at the Island as a family, so this was just for them.
"How to be vague the John Tracy way," she grumbled as she pulled on some underwear, snapped her bra closed and glared at her clothes rail again.
In the end she went with casual and simple, jeans, a vest top and a NASA hoodie she'd stolen from him months ago.
She'd just finished drying and braiding her hair when her doorbell chimed. She rarely got visitors, she shared a little office space in a friend's shop for readings or did them via video call. She glanced at the clock, seeing it was precisely 5pm. Like she'd ever doubted he'd be on time.
She swung open the door, eyes closed and lips puckered ready for one of those perfect spaceman kisses but got a nose full of perfume instead. She opened her eyes to a world filled with white. She stumbled back a few steps and the world came back into focus.
A bunch of flowers, consisting of white roses, night blooming jasmine and tiny white buds had been up close and personal with her face.
"Wow, OK."
The flowers moved out of range as he reached out a hand to steady her. "Sorry, wasn't intentional."
"Never thought it was." She rose to her tiptoes to steal a kiss since apparently none were forthcoming on their own.
She received a little peck but then the bouquet was back.
"Thank you," she cradled them in her arms. "What did I do to deserve these? Or what did you do wrong to need them?" she smiled to show she was joking and stepped aside to let him in while she went to fetch a vase.
"Can't a man bring his woman flowers without an interrogation?"
"Of course he can, they're beautiful, I love them."
She placed the vase of flowers on the coffee table where she'd be able to see them all the time then slipped her arms around his waist.
Her man was looking particularly good, casual in jeans and a shirt that was just as soft and fine as it looked, in a pale lilac colour that seemed to enhance both the colour of his eyes and his neatly styled hair. Her fingers itched to mess it up, to run through the silky strands and drag him down for a kiss.
"Do we have to go or can I tempt you to let me have my wicked way with you in bed? Or on the floor? The sofa? Anywhere really, I'm not fussy."
He rolled his eyes dramatically. "You always do this, you start tempting me whenever I make plans for us."
"Do I get to know these plans?"
"No," he kissed her softly. "I have plans, but you don't need to know them yet. So stop trying to seduce me."
She pouted. "Fine, but I reserve the right to seduce you later, because I haven't seen you properly for almost two weeks and I've missed you, and not just the fun zone bits either."
"Noted. Now, grab your stuff and let's get going."
"Yes, sir." She took his offered hand and grabbed her bag with the other, slamming the door behind them.
"And you still won't tell me where we're going?"
"Nope," the maddening man responded, relaxing back in his seat.
He had led her up to her rooftop garden where his elevator sat waiting for them. She'd assumed that they were going to go somewhere in her car but he obviously had other ideas.
He'd pointed to a duffle bag beside his seat, explaining that he'd packed for them both from the clothes she'd left scattered on both Five and back at base.
Yet he wouldn't tell her why they needed a change of clothes or where they were going.
She scowled from her spot in the fold down passenger seat but as always he ignored her, concentrating on inputting their destination. First up to Five and then, once it had moved to their new location, back down to earth again.
The first thing she noticed was the cold. Her hoodie just wasn't cutting it and she immediately began to shiver. He grabbed their bag and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, guiding her out of the elevator. Ahead of them was a small cabin, set against a beautiful backdrop of a snow topped woodland.
"Wow, that's…damn."
"Is this winter solstice enough for you?"
"Hell yeah!" she flung her arms around his neck , giving him the biggest hug in the history of hugs. "You, are amazing."
"I know."
"Modest too."
He grinned at her. "I got that from you. Now, go do your witchy thing, you have an hour where I won't disturb you and then you're all mine for the entire night at least, longer if IR stays quiet."
"Oh, now that is an offer I would be mad to refuse."
Performing a winter ritual in the middle of a snowy forest was the stuff of dreams for her. It rarely, if ever, snowed in England and when it did it was wet, slushy rubbish that immediately got dirty and yuck.
Here the air was crisp and clear, freezing cold but so fresh you could feel each breath tingling in your lungs. She'd lit a few candles and some incense but used nothing else, it wasn't needed. There was nature all around her, the sound of distant water from a small spring, the earth solid under her feet and the air all around her. Coupled with her addition of fire and she was set. She wasn't a fancy witch, she hardly ever used tools if she could help it, she preferred to connect with the earth on the most basic of levels.
She could feel the energy pulsing through her body, like a low level hum that emanated from the ground, buzzing through her body like a small electrical current.
She laid out the small wooden discs she was charging with all the good stuff she would raise that evening and got to work.
She communed with those above her, those who had gone before, and the elements themselves, welcoming back the sunlight and the warmth.
By the time she had finished she was so cold she could barely feel her limbs and she was shivering harshly. She wanted nothing more than to curl up with her amazing boyfriend and spend time with him.
Said boyfriend was noticeably absent in the cute little cabin, although she did take a few minutes to check each room in turn. He couldn't have gone far, as was customary he had sent his elevator back to Five so as not to pose a danger to any aircraft that might be in the vicinity.
"John?"
"Out here!"
She followed his voice to the back of the cabin and stopped dead.
"There's a freaking hot tub?"
Her awesome as fuck man was lounging in the warm water, head tilted back to rest against the padded sides of the tub, his wet hair swept back from his forehead.
He turned to face her, a dazzling smile lighting up his face and once again she felt a wave of emotion hit her like a punch to the gut. How was it possible that she loved him so damn much?
"Well, you keep complaining that my 'bird doesn't have a bath tub, so I thought you might appreciate this. Join me?"
She didn't need asking twice. Despite the cold she started yanking at her clothes, tossing them inside the cottage into the small kitchen. She jogged across the decking and climbed in beside him, sinking gratefully down into the hot water.
His arm went around her, pulling her in close to his side. She snuggled against him, resting her head on his shoulder with a happy sigh.
"Have I told you lately, just how much I love you?"
"No, I don't believe you have."
She turned to face him, sliding her arm around his waist…"Hey, how come you're wearing trunks?"
He shrugged. "You never stopped long enough to let me tell you that the swimwear you left in my room is over there with the robes."
"Unfair."
"You'll get over it."
She nipped his shoulder lightly in punishment before settling down, closing her eyes as the warmth of the water and his arms chased away the lingering chill in her body.
"I love you, Space Man."
"I love you too, my witch."
They stayed in the water, quietly chatting, catching each other up on the things they had been up to while apart, while slowly sipping from a bottle of pretty good wine from one of the vineyards that Penelope had invested in.
Around them the night grew darker, the world seeming to slip into peaceful slumber, all noise muting down to just the sound of their voices and the soft trickling of the hot tub water. The light pollution was practically zero especially after John pressed a button on the side of the tub that turned off all the lights on the deck, leaving just the warm glow from the cabin.
Little pin pricks of starlight appeared here and there, just a few at first, but gradually they expanded to fill the entire sky as far as the eye could see. It was always amazing to see the stars all around them when on Five, but there was just something totally magical about being on earth and looking up into that vast space above and realising that you'd been there, that the universe stretched out before you was seemingly endless.
She was entirely too comfortable where she was, her head pillowed on his shoulder, that she almost thought she'd begun to drift off, her eyes growing fuzzy. She sat up straighter, not wanting to waste any of her precious time with him by sleeping. She blinked, trying to clear her vision as she watched the sky above the treeline.
The sky had seemed to lighten a little, a misty haze of greyish clouds slowly forming. It seemed to dance slowly on the breeze, a slow swirling that was hard to make out unless you were focused on it.
She snuggled closer, hearing the steady, reassuring thump of his heart.
As she watched the hazy cloud seemed to change, faint green stripes appearing as if someone was shining a laser light down from above. The light seemed to mingle with the clouds, greens and the odd flash of purples and white joining in to create a colourful canvas of lights across the horizon.
"Is that…"
"The Aurora Borealis? Yes."
"Where are we exactly?" Her eyes were riveted on the celestial light show playing out in front of them. They moved like a wave, ebbing and flowing, twisting and turning in a slow symphony of colours.
"Alaska."
That explained the cold then.
"It's beautiful, I've never seen anything more amazing."
"Then I've got a lot left to show you, but, for Earth, it is quite spectacular. I've always liked it here, the stars seem closer somehow."
"They do. I always imagine my ancient ancestors looking up at the same sky, probably with the same wonder as we do."
He nodded, completely understanding.
"Stars are timeless, stars are a beacon anywhere in the world to help you find your way home," he gently cupped her chin, turning her gaze away from the sky to meet his own. "Home is where the heart is and you have my heart, you're my home. And my love for you, just like the stars, will be timeless."
Had any man ever been so perfect?
"I love you more than I ever thought possible, you fill the part of me that I didn't know was missing. I know I needed rescuing that first time, but I didn't know you'd keep doing it."
"Today is exactly six months since we first met."
"I know, Summer Solstice, when the day is at its longest, and tonight is Yule, when the night and darkness reign. But then the light shines in the dark, giving you hope, and the sun begins to return."
"Your version of Christmas."
She nodded.
"I wanted to make it special."
"You did, so special, just perfect."
"I got you a yule gift. I didn't want to make a big deal out of it, so I had it sent to Penny to look after, I didn't want anyone else to know or I'd get too nervous."
She frowned. Nervous? Did he think she wouldn't like this little trip or anything he got her?
"I didn't want you to think I was rushing you, or wanting something you aren't prepared to give."
He reached behind him, into the pile of clothing he'd left on the side of the tub and pulled out a small box.
Her eyes widened, her heart thumping in her chest. What was he doing?
"I'm not trying to force anything on you, I know it's probably too soon and I know that you said witches don't do it, I'm just asking that you agree to consider, one day in the future, the possibility..."
He stopped babbling to carefully flip open the lid, revealing a stunningly delicate silver band on which a glittering crescent moon sat, a rough black stone in the center forming the body of the moon with tiny diamonds outlining it. A small diamond studded star nestled just inside the curve of the moons body. It was gorgeous, and so very unique and lovely. She stroked it gently with the tip of one finger, tears welling up.
She looked from the ring to her love, seeing the panic and fear of rejection in his gorgeous eyes.
"Is this your version of a proposal?"
"Well…it's a request…I guess…I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." Had he fucked this up so badly that he'd make her cry? Had she really been serious when she said she didn't want to get married?
She took his free hand in hers, bringing it to her lips to kiss his knuckles, tucking it in close to her heart.
"Ask me properly."
She wanted him to ask again? Why was she prolonging the torture? Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Damn it, he loved her, and he wanted to do something to prove that, to show the world that she was his. He wasn't ashamed or scared of how he felt about her.
She heard him swallow, saw his hand shaking where he held the box out to her, but his voice was strong when he finally spoke.
"Will you marry me? Be my wife?"
Her arms were around his neck and her lips on his in seconds. She kissed him with every ounce of love she had in her heart, told him without words just how much she adored him. The tears flowed freely now, wetting his shoulder as she clung to him, the most important thing in her world.
"Is that a yes?" he tentatively asked.
"Of course it is," she kissed him again. "Idiot."
He huffed out a relieved breath, burying his face in her neck.
"That was the most terrifying thing I've ever done."
"Did you honestly think I'd say no?"
"I don't know, I hoped that you'd agree to think about it. Every time someone mentioned it you always said no, you were so adamant about it not being something that you would do. I know Grandma has been pushing the subject and I didn't want you to think that I was just going along with it because of that."
She nuzzled his cheek, hugging him tightly.
"Well, I've never done things the conventional way. Look how we met, and look at us now, who else can say they were proposed to while naked?"
He made an apologetic face.
"The naked part wasn't in the original plan. I just wanted this to be about us, not the rest of my family, which is why I didn't tell anyone but Penelope what I'd planned, and even then I didn't tell her what I wanted to ask you, just that it was a gift. At best I'd hoped it would be a promise ring."
"I can never say no to you."
He snorted. "You say no to me all the time."
"Not when it matters, so, can I have my ring now?"
"Shit! Yes! Sorry, I should have done that already. I'm obviously not very good at this."
"Well I'd worry if you'd had lots of practice."
He ignored that comment to carefully pluck the ring from the box's padded depths, tossing the box away over his shoulder, then slipped it gently onto her finger, taking her hand in his to admire it.
"Beautiful," he turned her hand over, bringing it to his lips, kissing the soft skin of her inner wrist, loving the way she shivered. He did it again, feeling her pulse thumping with each beat of her heart.
"I love it almost as much as I love you."
"I sincerely hope that is a lot," he entwined their fingers, feeling the band of her ring pressing against his skin.
"Don't make me bite you."
There was that devastating grin again. "Is that a promise?"
She slid onto his lap, her thighs either side of his hips, chest to chest.
"I have a few conditions."
"For biting?"
"No," she nipped his shoulder lightly. "For getting married. No letting Grandma take over, we take our time, do it when we want to, a long engagement is fine. Quiet, small and intimate is key here. And I don't want anything indoors. I want outside, maybe on the beach, a proper pagan handfasting, our own vows and then we can do something boring and legal after. Maybe see if one of the boys want to get ordained to perform it themselves. What are the rules of a private island? Do you get the same kind of allowances that a ships captain does? All, I'm in charge here, this is my vessel and I deem you husband and wife?"
He blinked, clearly wondering just how her brain had jumped from demands to that weird question.
"Pagan wedding, fine with me, quiet and intimate makes me love you even more, no idea about the rules of the island as we've never had to think about it before."
She shrugged. "We have time."
He wrapped his arms tighter around her middle, hugging her close. "Are you happy?"
She pulled back to look at him, studying his face. "Of course I am, why did you think I wouldn't be?"
"I don't know, I guess because it wasn't something you'd have thought about."
She sighed, dripping her head down to capture his lips. "Of course I've thought about it, how could I ever not want to be with you forever? I just, I like us being us, you know? I didn't want us to do anything we didn't want to or to please anyone else."
He nodded, understanding that. "That's why I didn't tell anyone about this, it's about us, and I think I'd like to keep it that way, at least for a few days until Christmas. Our secret, just to enjoy it alone for a little while."
"That sounds like a perfect plan, my love."