Disclaimer: see previous chapters....
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***Fi reluctantly let him pull her away from the pond. They headed further and further away from the house and the noise and the feelings and she knew where he was going to take her. "Carey, please don't." "No," he sighed, "I have to show you something."
Fi felt her sobs turn to shudders as they walked into the graveyard. She hadn't visited her Dad's grave in years and hadn't meant to do so for awhile. "Gee, Carey, you really want to run me ragged today. What's up for later? Making me listen to all my records? Or, how about making a mockery of me to my friends?" He turned and frowned at her. "I'm sorry. And you know I would never do things like that to you. But I really have to show you something."
She noticed the familiar gravestone as it came into view. But somehow, the scenery around the grave had changed. She hadn't figured it out before they came into reading distance of the stone. Absentmindedly, she hummed her father's theme. It was her way of connecting with him quickly. "Something's changed here," she whispered. Fi followed Carey's pointed finger to the nearby cherry tree. "It's blossoming!" The tree that had been in the graveyard for as long as she could remember had never blossomed, or maybe she had never noticed. The white blooms were like confetti for a wedding. She felt Carey tug on her arm and she turned back to face him.
"There's something over on that tree for you." "Really?" She pulled away from him and walked underneath the bowing branched of the tree. There, on the trunk, was a simple heart with letters carved in the middle. "'C.B. and F.P.'? I don't understand. Is that like some kind of sick joke you play? Like a calling card?" Fi barely registered the look of hurt on his face. What was he thinking writing that when he was married to Annie?
She locked her jaw and watched him walk to her. She was afraid that at any moment she'd say something she'd regret. He cleared his throat, "Fi, when you first left, I was lost. I didn't realize what you meant to me. But, on the day I figured it out, I came out here to have a talk with your dad." "Really?" The sentiment was sweet but lost on her now. He had Annie. "Yeah. I asked him if it would be okay if I loved you. Of course, I really didn't get an answer so I carved our initials on that tree. The following spring, it blossomed and has every year. Just as beautiful as now. And I come here, almost every week, to see our tree and talk to your dad. I kind of took it as a sign that he gave us his blessing." "But what about Annie?" "What about her?" "Do you bring her here too?" "Why would I? If she ever found out about this tree, Clu would kill me. He stole the idea from me." Fi's head was spinning. She was never really a ditzy person but she couldn't make things fit together.
***Carey threw out his arms to offer support to Fiona as the color drained from her face. He helped her sit under the white canopy and propped her back against the tree. "Breath Fi. You'll be okay." What just happened? "Carey Bell- C.B.." "Yeah, so?" "Cluett Bell- C.B.." "Yeah, our parents must have liked the letters together. What's the deal?" "So you're not married to Annie?" "Annie? No! Clu married Annie and has loved her for almost as long as I've loved you." Carey watched as a perfect smile broke across her face and then he returned one of his own as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "So you're not married?" "No. Fi, did you hear me? I love you."
It was as if the last puzzle piece slipped into place for her. "You love me?" He let her pull away and locked his gaze with hers. "You love me? But you can't!" "But I do!" "I love you too." He closed his eyes and savored what she had as if it were the first bite of a chocolate cake. "You don't have to say that if you don't mean it." "But I do mean it. I've meant it since my junior prom when I knew I wanted to go with you but couldn't because you were here and I was in Seattle. I wanted to call you every day of my tour and ask you to come be in the band just so I might be able to see you. I wanted to call you on stormy nights and ask you to play me a lullaby so that I could go to sleep. I just wanted you." He pulled her into his arms and hugged her as if she might disappear if he let go.
For the first time in a long time, Carey was actually happy. He finally pulled Fi to her feet and hugged her again. "I've got to get you back to your party. People will think something happened to you." "Yeah, okay. But since you brought me here, can I have a minute alone?" "Of course." A smile tickled his lips, feeling her eyes on his back as he left her with her dad. He had finally said it. Could finally breathe to the very tips of his toes. Could finally call Fiona his.
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A/N: Well? One more chapter ought to do it... Let me know what you think! And thank you so much for the reviews.
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***Fi reluctantly let him pull her away from the pond. They headed further and further away from the house and the noise and the feelings and she knew where he was going to take her. "Carey, please don't." "No," he sighed, "I have to show you something."
Fi felt her sobs turn to shudders as they walked into the graveyard. She hadn't visited her Dad's grave in years and hadn't meant to do so for awhile. "Gee, Carey, you really want to run me ragged today. What's up for later? Making me listen to all my records? Or, how about making a mockery of me to my friends?" He turned and frowned at her. "I'm sorry. And you know I would never do things like that to you. But I really have to show you something."
She noticed the familiar gravestone as it came into view. But somehow, the scenery around the grave had changed. She hadn't figured it out before they came into reading distance of the stone. Absentmindedly, she hummed her father's theme. It was her way of connecting with him quickly. "Something's changed here," she whispered. Fi followed Carey's pointed finger to the nearby cherry tree. "It's blossoming!" The tree that had been in the graveyard for as long as she could remember had never blossomed, or maybe she had never noticed. The white blooms were like confetti for a wedding. She felt Carey tug on her arm and she turned back to face him.
"There's something over on that tree for you." "Really?" She pulled away from him and walked underneath the bowing branched of the tree. There, on the trunk, was a simple heart with letters carved in the middle. "'C.B. and F.P.'? I don't understand. Is that like some kind of sick joke you play? Like a calling card?" Fi barely registered the look of hurt on his face. What was he thinking writing that when he was married to Annie?
She locked her jaw and watched him walk to her. She was afraid that at any moment she'd say something she'd regret. He cleared his throat, "Fi, when you first left, I was lost. I didn't realize what you meant to me. But, on the day I figured it out, I came out here to have a talk with your dad." "Really?" The sentiment was sweet but lost on her now. He had Annie. "Yeah. I asked him if it would be okay if I loved you. Of course, I really didn't get an answer so I carved our initials on that tree. The following spring, it blossomed and has every year. Just as beautiful as now. And I come here, almost every week, to see our tree and talk to your dad. I kind of took it as a sign that he gave us his blessing." "But what about Annie?" "What about her?" "Do you bring her here too?" "Why would I? If she ever found out about this tree, Clu would kill me. He stole the idea from me." Fi's head was spinning. She was never really a ditzy person but she couldn't make things fit together.
***Carey threw out his arms to offer support to Fiona as the color drained from her face. He helped her sit under the white canopy and propped her back against the tree. "Breath Fi. You'll be okay." What just happened? "Carey Bell- C.B.." "Yeah, so?" "Cluett Bell- C.B.." "Yeah, our parents must have liked the letters together. What's the deal?" "So you're not married to Annie?" "Annie? No! Clu married Annie and has loved her for almost as long as I've loved you." Carey watched as a perfect smile broke across her face and then he returned one of his own as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "So you're not married?" "No. Fi, did you hear me? I love you."
It was as if the last puzzle piece slipped into place for her. "You love me?" He let her pull away and locked his gaze with hers. "You love me? But you can't!" "But I do!" "I love you too." He closed his eyes and savored what she had as if it were the first bite of a chocolate cake. "You don't have to say that if you don't mean it." "But I do mean it. I've meant it since my junior prom when I knew I wanted to go with you but couldn't because you were here and I was in Seattle. I wanted to call you every day of my tour and ask you to come be in the band just so I might be able to see you. I wanted to call you on stormy nights and ask you to play me a lullaby so that I could go to sleep. I just wanted you." He pulled her into his arms and hugged her as if she might disappear if he let go.
For the first time in a long time, Carey was actually happy. He finally pulled Fi to her feet and hugged her again. "I've got to get you back to your party. People will think something happened to you." "Yeah, okay. But since you brought me here, can I have a minute alone?" "Of course." A smile tickled his lips, feeling her eyes on his back as he left her with her dad. He had finally said it. Could finally breathe to the very tips of his toes. Could finally call Fiona his.
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A/N: Well? One more chapter ought to do it... Let me know what you think! And thank you so much for the reviews.