A/N: This was written for my 31 Days of Shipping prompt, A Ship that Makes You Cry. When I think about the ultimate demise of this couple, I always find myself tearing up just a little bit. This is the first time I've written them, so I apologize for any OOC-ness you may feel.

Beta work was done by Grammarly. The only thing I own in this little tale is the plot.

Be sure to let me know what you think!

Love always,
~starr

The lights shining on the stage that night were very bright. Haley couldn't see anything as she stepped to her mark in the center of the stage. With a cautious glance to the eves, she noticed Aaron offering her a smile as he waited for his cue. Haley took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment before directing her attention to the faceless crowd in front of her. Even though she couldn't see their faces, Haley knew they were all staring at her, waiting for her to fail. However, she refused to give them that satisfaction. She stood on that stage, acting her heart out and proudly nailing every word of her lengthy monologue before her leading man joined her on stage. Sharing the stage with Aaron helped to push the nervous butterflies aside.

She followed Aaron's lead as he stepped onto the stage, launching into a monologue of his own. The sparkle in his eye was a reminder of the man she fell in love with when they first met in high school, and here they were now, pursuing their passion as a break from the stress of their college majors, the one chance they had to be anyone but themselves. This was their seventh production together this year, and it was the anniversary of the first production they had ever performed together back in high school. Haley thought she might have fallen in love with his stage persona, but the more time she spent with him outside of the theater, the more she realized that he was the man she could see herself spending the rest of her life with.

As the lights dimmed and curtains closed, Aaron squeezed Haley's hand with a smile on his face. Once the curtains were fully closed, he gently pulled on her hand, pulling her into a hug as he wrapped his arm tightly around her waist, spinning her around once. Setting her back down on the ground, Aaron leaned in and pressed a kiss to her lips before pulling away with a smile on his face.

"What are you smiling at?" Haley asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She looked up at him with a sheepish look on her face as she brushed her teeth over her lower lip.

"You," Aaron replied, reaching out to cup her cheek. "You were amazing tonight."

Haley blushed, tucking her chin into his hand. "You're just saying that. I wasn't that great."

"You earned a standing ovation from the crowd," he insisted, rubbing his thumb along the apple of her cheek. "They fell in love with you on that stage tonight."

Haley rolled her eyes. "They gave the whole cast a standing ovation, which includes you too. They didn't fall in love with just me. They fell in love with the whole cast tonight."

"Not from where I was standing," he replied, flashing a smile at her as he stepped closer, wrapping one arm around her waist and cupping the back of her head with the other. He pulled her tight against him as he pressed another kiss to her lips. After a few moments of soft kisses, Aaron smiled as he felt Haley relax into his arms and deepened the kiss. His fingers tightened their grip on her hair.

Slowly, they both pulled away, Haley looking up at Aaron with a smile on her face and Aaron looking down at her in awe. She was beautiful, and Aaron was lucky to have her in his life. The more he thought about it, the more he found himself realizing that he didn't want to lose her for anything. Now was as good a time as any to take a leap of faith.

Aaron looked down at her for a few more moments before he lowered himself to his knee and reached for his pocket. Haley watched him silently with a confused look on her face.

"Aaron, what are you doing?" she whispered, observing him run his thumb along the back of her hand.

"You once asked me why as a law student, I liked being on the stage, and I wouldn't give you a direct answer," he began, looking up at her with a smile on his face. "Do you remember that day?"

Haley furrowed her brow at him and nodded his head. "That was the first day we met," she whispered.

"Right," Aaron laughed, nodding his head as he pulled the ring box out of his pocket. "The reason I wouldn't give you a direct answer was because I wasn't ready to tell you that I joined the drama club to spend more time with you. I was nervous to ask you out, so I decided to find a way to spend time with you. And I'm so glad that I did."

Haley felt her cheeks glowing bright red as she felt her eyes welling up with tears and a smile pulling at the corners of her lips. She was glad he had joined the drama club too.

"Haley Brooks, I've been in love with you since the first time I saw you performing on that stage, and watching you tonight made me realize that I want to spend the rest of my life with you by my side. Will you marry me?" Aaron asked, presenting a beautiful diamond ring to her, the stage lights causing the stone to sparkle brightly.

Haley nodded her head quickly as she watched Aaron slip the ring onto her finger; she reached out to cup his cheeks as she leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. She smiled as he stood up from his knees, wrapping his arms around her waist and spinning her around a few times before placing her back on her feet to kiss her once again.

"So I couldn't quite hear your answer," Aaron teased, pulling away slowly with a smirk on his face. "You did say yes, right?"

Haley rolled her eyes and playfully smacked his chest. "Yes, Aaron Hotchner, I will marry you."