CHILD OF THE WHITELIGHTER
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the Charmed characters, although it would be nice to own Leo. (wink wink) The characters Caiti, her friends, and her mother Jeanne are my own creation; please don't use them without asking me first.
Review Replies:
cricketlover- i know what you mean about Chris on the show. that's why i decided to make the line between good and evil clean cut for him in my story, and by having him fall in love with Caiti, i found the perfect way to do it. i was going to have Leo be the one shot by the darklighter, but the guy's been shot by them so many times on the show that i decided to give him a break for a change. there will be a Caiti/Wyatt moment, a bigger one than the one in chapter five and i can tell you now, she will not hate him. i don't know right now who will be the more powerful of the two, but from what i've written so far, i believe it will be Caiti. wow, i have loyal fans! that's a first! every other time i've tried to do something like this, i've never had this much success. anyways, i'm excited about the new episode tonight too. i'm definitely going to watch it. as always, keep reading and reviewing and enjoying the story.
Rider'z Lil bitch- thank you for reading my story. i hope you keep reading and reviewing, and also enjoying the story. you won't be disappointed.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
"So," Chris said after the others had left the room, "What did you want to ask me?"
"Well," Caiti said, sitting up slowly, "I really didn't want to ask you anything. I used that as an excuse to talk to you, about what happened in the rose garden."
Chris smiled and said, "I should have known. But, like you said, there's nothing to talk about. Or is there?"
"Actually, there is something to talk about," Caiti said slowly. "First, I want to thank you for helping my dad and Paige save me. Second, I want to apologize for nearly crushing your hand when Piper took the arrow out."
Chris laughed. "No problem, you didn't crush it at all. I didn't know about the attack. I was drinking myself stupid at P3 when Paige and your dad came in. Then Paige told me what happened, and when I asked why they hadn't been able to take care of it, your dad went psycho on me." "Like he did at the club last night?" Caiti asked. "Pretty much," Chris replied, "Except this time, I understood why. He was upset, and for a good reason. Paige was right when she said that they couldn't have done it by themselves. Your injury was so bad that they did need me, and I'm glad they did."
"I'm glad they did too, or else I wouldn't be here right now," said Caiti, "But there's something else too." "What is it?" Chris asked.
"It's about what happened in the rose garden. I-I was scared, as you know, and I was upset. But then you came out into the garden, and you held me, and you told me that everything was going to be fine, that I'd never be hurt while you were around, and I felt more safe than I ever have before, and that's why I kissed you. Then I ran away, without giving you a decent explanation, and you followed me, and stopped me on the stairs. When I gave you a somewhat decent explanation, you kissed me and then you left. But what you said to me after you kissed me, about me not being the only one that enjoyed the kiss, it made me think about what I had done. I felt foolish and mean, and I was coming to find you when-when I was attacked," Caiti said quietly, "And in those few moments after I was hit, I was thinking of you, about never being able to see you and about the garden. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry for what I said, but I'm not sorry for what I did. Kissing you, I mean, I'm not sorry that I did it." Caiti looked at Chris, who seemed to be thinking about what she had just said.
After many minutes of thought, Chris smiled and said, "Apology accepted. Now, can we seal the deal?" "How are we gonna do." But before Caiti could finish, Chris had leaned over and kissed her. When he finally sat back, Caiti said, "I guess that's how we seal the deal." Chris laughed and said, "So, how are you feeling?" "Truth be told," Caiti said, "I still feel a little weak from the attack. But I don't think I'll stay weak for long, maybe a few days, I don't know." "Most likely a few days," Chris said in agreement, "Which means you'll have to stay in the house, and I'll probably stay with you." Caiti smiled and said, "I think I can stand being in the house for a few days if the only condition is that you stay too."
At that moment, Cole and Phoebe appeared in the living room. Phoebe rushed over to Caiti and hugged her saying, "I'm glad you're OK, we were so worried." Cole hugged her too, and told her about the fight between him and the darklighter. When he had finished, Caiti said, "Ah! You vanquished his sorry ass then. At least he won't hurt me or anyone else again." Piper, Paige, and Leo walked into the room in time to hear Caiti say "At least he won't hurt me or anyone else again," and Piper said, "Who's not going to hurt you again?" Caiti looked at Cole and said, "You tell her." Once again, Cole recounted the battle he had with the darklighter. Paige said, "Whoa. You did vanquish his sorry ass. Shame I didn't get a crack at him, I would've beat him beyond recognition." At that moment, Caiti grabbed her side and groaned. "What is it Caiti?" Leo asked, "What's wrong?" "Just a little pain," Caiti said, "It's nothing." "Obviously it's something," her father replied, "You should rest." "Yeah," Phoebe said, "I can feel that you're still weak from getting hit. You really should try to sleep a little." "Down here?" Caiti asked. "This will be better for you right now," Piper said, "That way, you don't have to move too much, and you can just go right to sleep." "OK, that works," Caiti said. "Come on guys," said Paige, "Let's go so she can sleep." Then they all left the room, except Leo, who gave his daughter a kiss before orbing upstairs to bed. Caiti closed her eyes and smiled as she drifted peacefully off to sleep, the pain in her chest gone for the moment. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Caiti woke up the next morning, she sat up suddenly, not knowing where she was and wondering why she wasn't in her bedroom. But then the stabbing pain in her chest reminded her of what had happened the night before and why she was on the couch in the living room instead of her bedroom. Piper came into the room carrying a tray, and when she saw that Caiti was awake, she said, "You're awake. How did you sleep?" Caiti said, "I slept pretty well actually, until I woke up, when I felt the stabbing pain in my chest again. That tray doesn't have an Aleve on it by any chance?" Piper sat the tray down on the coffee table, pulled a small bottle out of her pocket, and showed it to Caiti. "You're a saint," Caiti said, taking the bottle and opening it to get a pill. "I thought you might be needing one," Piper said, "Seeing as you were in a pretty big bunch of pain last night before I gave you one." Caiti took the pill and closed the bottle. "Yeah," Caiti said, wincing as she reached over to hand the bottle back to Piper, "I just wish they would kick in faster. So, what've we got here?" Caiti asked, pointing to the tray. "Eggs, bacon, and a cheese Danish," Piper said, "Along with some tomato juice." "My favorites," Caiti said with a smile, "How did you know? Or, more accurately, who told you?" Piper smiled and said, "Your mother. Last night, when I was asleep, I saw your mother. She told me everything I needed to know about you and what you like and dislike." "Damn," Caiti said, "She didn't tell you about." "Your crush on Orlando Bloom? Or your crush on Chris?" Piper asked, grinning slightly. "OK, since my crush on Orlando Bloom is a known fact, I'm assuming she told you about Chris," Caiti said, blushing beet red. "Don't worry," Piper said, "I won't tell. I'm assuming Chris knows, correct?" "Yeah, he knows," Caiti said, "In fact, he knows a whole lot," she said, thinking of the kisses. "I'm not going to ask, I'm just going to assume that you and him had a couple of moments together in the rose garden last night that ended in a kiss." "And you thought I was astute," Caiti muttered, just loud enough for Piper to hear. "Anyways, I have to go to P3, the kids will be arriving soon for daycare," Piper said. "Daycare?" Caiti asked. "Yeah," Piper said, "I started it after some things happened with your dad to take my mind off of it." "What happened?" Caiti asked. "It was about 10 months ago, and it was because your dad was made an elder," said Piper, "But even though your father came back, I thought it would be a nice way to get extra income." "Can I come and help out there when I get better?" Caiti asked, "I mean, I am taking a year off before I start college so I can earn money for it, so I have the time. I don't want to be paid, I just want to have somewhere to go during the day." "It's fine with me," Piper said, "We'll talk more about it when you're feeling better. I have to go now, bye," she said as she walked out of the house. Caiti began eating the breakfast when Chris orbed into the room. "Morning, beautiful," Chris said, "How was your night?" Chris walked over to the couch and gave Caiti a kiss on the forehead before sitting down. "It was good," Caiti replied, "And yours? Or do I not want to know?" Chris grinned and said, "It was fine. So, I see you have your breakfast." "OK," Caiti said with a grin, "What do you want?" "What makes you think I want something?" Chris asked innocently, then realizing that Caiti wasn't buying it, said, "A piece of Danish." Caiti broke the Danish in half and handed part of it to Chris. "Didn't you eat this morning?" Caiti asked. "No," Chris said, "I wanted to get over here to see you as soon as possible, and in my hurrying, I forgot to eat." "I think I can fix that," Caiti said as she snapped her fingers. Suddenly a breakfast exactly like Caiti's appeared, with the exception of a drink. "What do you want to drink?" Caiti asked. "O'Doul's," Chris said with a sly grin. "You're kidding, right?" Caiti asked. "Yeah. I'll just have what you're having, which appears to be tomato juice, unless you became a vampire overnight." Caiti snapped her fingers and a glass of tomato juice appeared. While Chris was examining the drink, Caiti reached over and took half of his Danish. "Hey!" Chris exclaimed, "What was that for?" "For me giving you half of mine," Caiti said. "Fair enough," Chris said. The two ate their breakfasts in silence, and when they had finished, Chris looked at the piano, then turned to Caiti and said, "Do you actually know how to play that thing, or is just sitting there to look good?" "Yeah, I can play the piano," Caiti replied, "You wanna hear me play something?" "Do you feel up to it?" Chris asked, "Because if you don't want to, you don't have to." "I'll do it," Caiti said, "I could use the practice anyways. Can you help me up?" Chris held out his arms and helped Caiti to stand, then orbed her over to the piano. Caiti sat down at the piano and said, "Anything in particular you'd like me to play?" Chris shook his head. "OK then, I hope you don't mind what I pick," said Caiti. She put her hands on the keys, and began to play "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me." As she played, she began to sing along. I can't light no more of your darkness
All my pictures seem to fade to black and white
I'm growing tired and time stands still before me
Frozen here on the ladder of my life
Too late to save myself from falling
I took a chance and changed your way of life
But you misread my meaning when I met you
Closed the door and left me blinded by the light
Don't let the sun go down on me
Although I search myself, it's always someone else I see
I'd just allow a fragment of your life to wander free
But losing everything is like the sun going down on me
I can't find, oh the right romantic line
But see me once and see the way I feel
Don't discard me just because you think I mean you harm
But these cuts I have they need love to help them heal
When she stopped playing, Chris applauded her and said, "Is that all you can play?" "Actually, I can play some other Elton John songs, and most of the Beatles songs," Caiti said, "Oh, and I can play the 'Mickey Mouse Club March,' but I'm saving that for Wyatt." Chris laughed and said, "That reminds me, I have a surprise for you." "What is it?" Caiti asked, surprised. Chris turned the radio on, and the local oldies station's request show came on, and suddenly Caiti heard the DJ say, "This next one is going out to Caiti, from Chris," and the melody of "Tiny Dancer" floated into the living room. "That's my favorite song," Caiti whispered. "I know," Chris said, and he held out his hand and said, "May I have this dance?" Caiti nodded her head, and stood up shakily. Chris took her arms and put them around his neck, and began to dance. Caiti rested her head on Chris' shoulder and closed her eyes to absorb the music. When the song ended, Caiti looked up at Chris and said, "Thank you. No one's ever done that for me before. It was sweet of you." Chris said, "It was nothing," and tilted his head until it met Caiti's in a kiss. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A few hours later, Caiti and Chris were sitting on the couch watching television when Chris stood up and said, "Time for my next surprise." "Chris, how many surprises do you have in you?" Caiti asked. "This is the last one, I swear," Chris said, "And it involves going outside, so you're going to need some transportation." With that, he picked Caiti up, who gave a surprised gasp and asked, "What the hell are you doing Chris?" Chris smiled and said, "Providing transportation." Caiti laughed and said, "OK then, as long as I know what's going on." Chris carried Caiti out the back door and into the rose garden, going through it until he reached the arch and the bench. Caiti gasped again when she saw what was there. Spread out on the ground was a blanket that had all of Caiti's favorite foods on it, including the grape leaves and hummus that her grandmother made for her whenever she was at her house. Chris put Caiti down on the blanket and sat down next to her. "I thought since you couldn't get yourself to a McDonald's for lunch and since the weather was so nice that you might enjoy a picnic," Chris said. "You thought right," said Caiti with a smile, "But where did you get the grape leaves and hummus?" "Your grandmother," Chris said, "I went to her house and told her that you wanted some of the food. When she asked who I was, I told her I was a friend of your father, and she believed me only when I showed her a picture of you and Leo. Apparently she knew about everything and gave me plenty of food. Enough to last for a few weeks." Caiti laughed and said, "That's my grandmother for you. Always feeding people, even when they don't want to be fed." Chris laughed and said, "Let's eat."
After they had finished the picnic, Chris said, "Before we go inside, there's something I'd like to ask you."
"What is it?" Caiti asked, curious.
"I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me sometime, after you get your strength back, of course," Chris said.
Caiti didn't have to think about her response for long. After a few seconds Caiti looked at Chris, smiled, and said, "Yes. I'd love to."
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the Charmed characters, although it would be nice to own Leo. (wink wink) The characters Caiti, her friends, and her mother Jeanne are my own creation; please don't use them without asking me first.
Review Replies:
cricketlover- i know what you mean about Chris on the show. that's why i decided to make the line between good and evil clean cut for him in my story, and by having him fall in love with Caiti, i found the perfect way to do it. i was going to have Leo be the one shot by the darklighter, but the guy's been shot by them so many times on the show that i decided to give him a break for a change. there will be a Caiti/Wyatt moment, a bigger one than the one in chapter five and i can tell you now, she will not hate him. i don't know right now who will be the more powerful of the two, but from what i've written so far, i believe it will be Caiti. wow, i have loyal fans! that's a first! every other time i've tried to do something like this, i've never had this much success. anyways, i'm excited about the new episode tonight too. i'm definitely going to watch it. as always, keep reading and reviewing and enjoying the story.
Rider'z Lil bitch- thank you for reading my story. i hope you keep reading and reviewing, and also enjoying the story. you won't be disappointed.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
"So," Chris said after the others had left the room, "What did you want to ask me?"
"Well," Caiti said, sitting up slowly, "I really didn't want to ask you anything. I used that as an excuse to talk to you, about what happened in the rose garden."
Chris smiled and said, "I should have known. But, like you said, there's nothing to talk about. Or is there?"
"Actually, there is something to talk about," Caiti said slowly. "First, I want to thank you for helping my dad and Paige save me. Second, I want to apologize for nearly crushing your hand when Piper took the arrow out."
Chris laughed. "No problem, you didn't crush it at all. I didn't know about the attack. I was drinking myself stupid at P3 when Paige and your dad came in. Then Paige told me what happened, and when I asked why they hadn't been able to take care of it, your dad went psycho on me." "Like he did at the club last night?" Caiti asked. "Pretty much," Chris replied, "Except this time, I understood why. He was upset, and for a good reason. Paige was right when she said that they couldn't have done it by themselves. Your injury was so bad that they did need me, and I'm glad they did."
"I'm glad they did too, or else I wouldn't be here right now," said Caiti, "But there's something else too." "What is it?" Chris asked.
"It's about what happened in the rose garden. I-I was scared, as you know, and I was upset. But then you came out into the garden, and you held me, and you told me that everything was going to be fine, that I'd never be hurt while you were around, and I felt more safe than I ever have before, and that's why I kissed you. Then I ran away, without giving you a decent explanation, and you followed me, and stopped me on the stairs. When I gave you a somewhat decent explanation, you kissed me and then you left. But what you said to me after you kissed me, about me not being the only one that enjoyed the kiss, it made me think about what I had done. I felt foolish and mean, and I was coming to find you when-when I was attacked," Caiti said quietly, "And in those few moments after I was hit, I was thinking of you, about never being able to see you and about the garden. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry for what I said, but I'm not sorry for what I did. Kissing you, I mean, I'm not sorry that I did it." Caiti looked at Chris, who seemed to be thinking about what she had just said.
After many minutes of thought, Chris smiled and said, "Apology accepted. Now, can we seal the deal?" "How are we gonna do." But before Caiti could finish, Chris had leaned over and kissed her. When he finally sat back, Caiti said, "I guess that's how we seal the deal." Chris laughed and said, "So, how are you feeling?" "Truth be told," Caiti said, "I still feel a little weak from the attack. But I don't think I'll stay weak for long, maybe a few days, I don't know." "Most likely a few days," Chris said in agreement, "Which means you'll have to stay in the house, and I'll probably stay with you." Caiti smiled and said, "I think I can stand being in the house for a few days if the only condition is that you stay too."
At that moment, Cole and Phoebe appeared in the living room. Phoebe rushed over to Caiti and hugged her saying, "I'm glad you're OK, we were so worried." Cole hugged her too, and told her about the fight between him and the darklighter. When he had finished, Caiti said, "Ah! You vanquished his sorry ass then. At least he won't hurt me or anyone else again." Piper, Paige, and Leo walked into the room in time to hear Caiti say "At least he won't hurt me or anyone else again," and Piper said, "Who's not going to hurt you again?" Caiti looked at Cole and said, "You tell her." Once again, Cole recounted the battle he had with the darklighter. Paige said, "Whoa. You did vanquish his sorry ass. Shame I didn't get a crack at him, I would've beat him beyond recognition." At that moment, Caiti grabbed her side and groaned. "What is it Caiti?" Leo asked, "What's wrong?" "Just a little pain," Caiti said, "It's nothing." "Obviously it's something," her father replied, "You should rest." "Yeah," Phoebe said, "I can feel that you're still weak from getting hit. You really should try to sleep a little." "Down here?" Caiti asked. "This will be better for you right now," Piper said, "That way, you don't have to move too much, and you can just go right to sleep." "OK, that works," Caiti said. "Come on guys," said Paige, "Let's go so she can sleep." Then they all left the room, except Leo, who gave his daughter a kiss before orbing upstairs to bed. Caiti closed her eyes and smiled as she drifted peacefully off to sleep, the pain in her chest gone for the moment. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Caiti woke up the next morning, she sat up suddenly, not knowing where she was and wondering why she wasn't in her bedroom. But then the stabbing pain in her chest reminded her of what had happened the night before and why she was on the couch in the living room instead of her bedroom. Piper came into the room carrying a tray, and when she saw that Caiti was awake, she said, "You're awake. How did you sleep?" Caiti said, "I slept pretty well actually, until I woke up, when I felt the stabbing pain in my chest again. That tray doesn't have an Aleve on it by any chance?" Piper sat the tray down on the coffee table, pulled a small bottle out of her pocket, and showed it to Caiti. "You're a saint," Caiti said, taking the bottle and opening it to get a pill. "I thought you might be needing one," Piper said, "Seeing as you were in a pretty big bunch of pain last night before I gave you one." Caiti took the pill and closed the bottle. "Yeah," Caiti said, wincing as she reached over to hand the bottle back to Piper, "I just wish they would kick in faster. So, what've we got here?" Caiti asked, pointing to the tray. "Eggs, bacon, and a cheese Danish," Piper said, "Along with some tomato juice." "My favorites," Caiti said with a smile, "How did you know? Or, more accurately, who told you?" Piper smiled and said, "Your mother. Last night, when I was asleep, I saw your mother. She told me everything I needed to know about you and what you like and dislike." "Damn," Caiti said, "She didn't tell you about." "Your crush on Orlando Bloom? Or your crush on Chris?" Piper asked, grinning slightly. "OK, since my crush on Orlando Bloom is a known fact, I'm assuming she told you about Chris," Caiti said, blushing beet red. "Don't worry," Piper said, "I won't tell. I'm assuming Chris knows, correct?" "Yeah, he knows," Caiti said, "In fact, he knows a whole lot," she said, thinking of the kisses. "I'm not going to ask, I'm just going to assume that you and him had a couple of moments together in the rose garden last night that ended in a kiss." "And you thought I was astute," Caiti muttered, just loud enough for Piper to hear. "Anyways, I have to go to P3, the kids will be arriving soon for daycare," Piper said. "Daycare?" Caiti asked. "Yeah," Piper said, "I started it after some things happened with your dad to take my mind off of it." "What happened?" Caiti asked. "It was about 10 months ago, and it was because your dad was made an elder," said Piper, "But even though your father came back, I thought it would be a nice way to get extra income." "Can I come and help out there when I get better?" Caiti asked, "I mean, I am taking a year off before I start college so I can earn money for it, so I have the time. I don't want to be paid, I just want to have somewhere to go during the day." "It's fine with me," Piper said, "We'll talk more about it when you're feeling better. I have to go now, bye," she said as she walked out of the house. Caiti began eating the breakfast when Chris orbed into the room. "Morning, beautiful," Chris said, "How was your night?" Chris walked over to the couch and gave Caiti a kiss on the forehead before sitting down. "It was good," Caiti replied, "And yours? Or do I not want to know?" Chris grinned and said, "It was fine. So, I see you have your breakfast." "OK," Caiti said with a grin, "What do you want?" "What makes you think I want something?" Chris asked innocently, then realizing that Caiti wasn't buying it, said, "A piece of Danish." Caiti broke the Danish in half and handed part of it to Chris. "Didn't you eat this morning?" Caiti asked. "No," Chris said, "I wanted to get over here to see you as soon as possible, and in my hurrying, I forgot to eat." "I think I can fix that," Caiti said as she snapped her fingers. Suddenly a breakfast exactly like Caiti's appeared, with the exception of a drink. "What do you want to drink?" Caiti asked. "O'Doul's," Chris said with a sly grin. "You're kidding, right?" Caiti asked. "Yeah. I'll just have what you're having, which appears to be tomato juice, unless you became a vampire overnight." Caiti snapped her fingers and a glass of tomato juice appeared. While Chris was examining the drink, Caiti reached over and took half of his Danish. "Hey!" Chris exclaimed, "What was that for?" "For me giving you half of mine," Caiti said. "Fair enough," Chris said. The two ate their breakfasts in silence, and when they had finished, Chris looked at the piano, then turned to Caiti and said, "Do you actually know how to play that thing, or is just sitting there to look good?" "Yeah, I can play the piano," Caiti replied, "You wanna hear me play something?" "Do you feel up to it?" Chris asked, "Because if you don't want to, you don't have to." "I'll do it," Caiti said, "I could use the practice anyways. Can you help me up?" Chris held out his arms and helped Caiti to stand, then orbed her over to the piano. Caiti sat down at the piano and said, "Anything in particular you'd like me to play?" Chris shook his head. "OK then, I hope you don't mind what I pick," said Caiti. She put her hands on the keys, and began to play "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me." As she played, she began to sing along. I can't light no more of your darkness
All my pictures seem to fade to black and white
I'm growing tired and time stands still before me
Frozen here on the ladder of my life
Too late to save myself from falling
I took a chance and changed your way of life
But you misread my meaning when I met you
Closed the door and left me blinded by the light
Don't let the sun go down on me
Although I search myself, it's always someone else I see
I'd just allow a fragment of your life to wander free
But losing everything is like the sun going down on me
I can't find, oh the right romantic line
But see me once and see the way I feel
Don't discard me just because you think I mean you harm
But these cuts I have they need love to help them heal
When she stopped playing, Chris applauded her and said, "Is that all you can play?" "Actually, I can play some other Elton John songs, and most of the Beatles songs," Caiti said, "Oh, and I can play the 'Mickey Mouse Club March,' but I'm saving that for Wyatt." Chris laughed and said, "That reminds me, I have a surprise for you." "What is it?" Caiti asked, surprised. Chris turned the radio on, and the local oldies station's request show came on, and suddenly Caiti heard the DJ say, "This next one is going out to Caiti, from Chris," and the melody of "Tiny Dancer" floated into the living room. "That's my favorite song," Caiti whispered. "I know," Chris said, and he held out his hand and said, "May I have this dance?" Caiti nodded her head, and stood up shakily. Chris took her arms and put them around his neck, and began to dance. Caiti rested her head on Chris' shoulder and closed her eyes to absorb the music. When the song ended, Caiti looked up at Chris and said, "Thank you. No one's ever done that for me before. It was sweet of you." Chris said, "It was nothing," and tilted his head until it met Caiti's in a kiss. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A few hours later, Caiti and Chris were sitting on the couch watching television when Chris stood up and said, "Time for my next surprise." "Chris, how many surprises do you have in you?" Caiti asked. "This is the last one, I swear," Chris said, "And it involves going outside, so you're going to need some transportation." With that, he picked Caiti up, who gave a surprised gasp and asked, "What the hell are you doing Chris?" Chris smiled and said, "Providing transportation." Caiti laughed and said, "OK then, as long as I know what's going on." Chris carried Caiti out the back door and into the rose garden, going through it until he reached the arch and the bench. Caiti gasped again when she saw what was there. Spread out on the ground was a blanket that had all of Caiti's favorite foods on it, including the grape leaves and hummus that her grandmother made for her whenever she was at her house. Chris put Caiti down on the blanket and sat down next to her. "I thought since you couldn't get yourself to a McDonald's for lunch and since the weather was so nice that you might enjoy a picnic," Chris said. "You thought right," said Caiti with a smile, "But where did you get the grape leaves and hummus?" "Your grandmother," Chris said, "I went to her house and told her that you wanted some of the food. When she asked who I was, I told her I was a friend of your father, and she believed me only when I showed her a picture of you and Leo. Apparently she knew about everything and gave me plenty of food. Enough to last for a few weeks." Caiti laughed and said, "That's my grandmother for you. Always feeding people, even when they don't want to be fed." Chris laughed and said, "Let's eat."
After they had finished the picnic, Chris said, "Before we go inside, there's something I'd like to ask you."
"What is it?" Caiti asked, curious.
"I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me sometime, after you get your strength back, of course," Chris said.
Caiti didn't have to think about her response for long. After a few seconds Caiti looked at Chris, smiled, and said, "Yes. I'd love to."