The Time Before The Future The waltz music faded out but it took the young couple dancing a while to notice. Their minds were elsewhere, completely focused on each other. When they stopped moving, they stood there, suddenly nervous. There were a few seconds of silence, then they both spoke at once: "Archie, you..." "Lexie..." They both laughed & tried again, Lexie taking Archie's slight nod as an invitation to go first, "I guess I've never really told how good you look dressed like that, have I?" she said ducking her head shyly. "Thanks. You are amazing." He replied smiling. Lexie flushed slightly: "Thanks, I'm glad you like it. I wasn't sure..." Archie stopped her with a gentle finger on her lips: "Shh, Alexandra, you misunderstand me. I do like the dress, it's beautiful & it suits you, but you, you are amazing." Lexie was now almost the colour of her gown. Archie only used her full name when he was very emotional: "Hush! You've been keeping your father sober by finishing his drams again." He chuckled gently; he had thought the fact that he sometimes rescued situations by doing that was his own little secret; though now he was not surprised that Lexie had been the one to find him out. As for his laugh, it was a musical sound that sent chills up & down her back as he replied: "Ok, I've had two, but believe me, I know exactly what I'm saying. This is absolutely NOTHING to do with whisky; it's much better than that!" "I won't argue there!" Lexie laughed. "Good." Here Archie's beam faded slightly as her both saw & felt Lexie shiver. "Take this." Before she could protest his jacket was around her shoulders. "You'll freeze!" she complained, all the while pulling the jacket tighter & snuggling into it. "Well, you'll just have to keep me warm then." Lexie took the hand that Archie offered to help her down the steps of the makeshift dance floor. Both felt the electricity that passed between them as they touched, but said nothing; words couldn't have expressed it anyway. Looking up at Archie, almost asking permission with her eyes, Lexie snuggled into Archie's side & put an arm around his waist: "Warmer?" "Much." He rewarded her with a kiss on the forehead. With that they turned & headed for the path around the loch. They walked in silence for quite a while, each still slightly unable to believe their luck or take everything that had happened on this crazy, wonderful day, in. Each seemed to be seeing the beautiful scenery around them with fresh eyes, as though they had just woken from a long, refreshing sleep. They were in no real hurry & they stopped several times to look at things or more likely just to hug or kiss. The cry of a Red Kite overhead caught Archie's attention, but as he moved to look up for it, he felt his bride-to-be wince: "Lexie? What's wrong, are you ok?" "I'm fine, it's nothing." She replied. But Archie had heard the catch in her voice & was not to be dissuaded: "Lexie, talk to me, what is it?" By now he had stopped them walking & was standing in front of her, his arms around her waist, looking down at her with concern in his eyes. "Nothing, it's silly, it's just that..." here she gently lifted her left hand to show the small but stinging scratch the can pull Archie had used for a spur of the moment ring had given her. The handsome young Laird instantly went as pale as though he were the one loosing blood: "Oh my God! Lexie, I'm SO sorry! I didn't think! Let's get you inside, I don't know how I could have been so thoughtless!" By now Lexie was laughing: "Archie, Archie, calm down! It's just a scratch, I don't want to go inside yet. There are first aid boxes in all the marquees (I put them there myself). We can use one of those, can't we?" "Ok, I guess." He looked uncertain. "Stop worrying Archie. I'll be fine, & besides the coffee pots are still warm in there, you can defrost a little!" "Well...alright. But first thing tomorrow, I'll be thinking about getting you a proper ring!" he laughed. "Archie I love my ring. Ok I know it won't be the real thing, but I'll do you a deal." "Name it!" Archie said earnestly. "You can buy me my proper ring, if I can have this one smoothed off & wear it on a chain." "Sounds fair." He grinned. By now they had reached a marquee. Archie lead Lexie to a chair & looked around with a puzzled expression on his face. "Behind the drinks table." Lexie advised. "Oh right, thanks." A few seconds later Archie re-emerged, box in hand, and ready to start treatment. With shaking hands & an earnest glance at Lexie (who tried valiantly, but couldn't completely hold in a gasp as the metal moved over the graze), he very gently wiped the tiny trace of blood away & applied a medicated plaster of the kind he had so often used in his time at restaurant. Lexie couldn't help but smile: "Honestly Archie, it's hardly a major blood vessel & I'm not made of china!" She had expected her quip to lighten the mood, but she looked up at him & saw tears in his eyes as he replied: "No, you're much more precious to me than that; I love you." What else could she say but "I love you to." A toast 'to us' (made with one of the bottles of champagne that still sat in an ice bucket on a nearby table) & a cup of coffee later they were snuggled up beside each other talking about the future, when Lexie noticed the time: "Lord! Look how late it is, everyone will be wondering where we are!" Archie smiled & shook his head: "No they won't, there's nobody around. All the guests left ages ago. My parents are sleeping, Golly's nursing that sick doe of his (he's been itching to get away from 'all this Tomfoolery' all day to check on her), & the last time I saw Duncan he & the musicians were heading for the village ready to make a night of it. They wanted me to go with them, but I wasn't in the mood. So, you see, no rush." "That's as may be Archie, but look around you. There's enough work out here alone to keep me busy for a fortnight! I should get started." Archie laughed: "Whoa! Not in that gown you shouldn't & anyway, don't you think saving the Estate & getting engaged is quite enough activity for one day? I can help you tomorrow." "Well, I guess, but how do work out I saved Glen Bogle?" Lexie said mystified. "Easy, you were the one who saw what Stella..." Lexie shuddered: "Archie stop." "What is it? What did I say?" he was confused. "It's that woman's name; oh Archie, I know it's crazy, but I can't help it. Every time I hear you say it my insides turn to ice." Here Lexie burst into tears, releasing all the tension of the past several months in one go. Archie felt his heart twist painfully in his chest as he pulled Lexie into a tight embrace. Much as it tore at his soul to hear her weeping, Archie was aware that she needed to do this, to get rid of her private demons. So for some time (he would never be sure quite how long), he did nothing but hold & rock her, not very successfully biting back his own tears, stroking her hair & murmuring comforts that neither of them would remember later. All he could do was hope & pray that the love he was willing himself to wrap around her like a blanket would eventually reach her through all her shuddering sobs of hurt & pain. In the end the tide seemed to be turning & Archie finally spoke: "Oh Lexie, I'm so sorry. I've been so blind! She really hurt you, didn't she my Darling?" He felt Lexie nod against him as she sobbed & made an instant decision: "As of this second, that name is completely banned on this Estate & you will never hear it pass my lips again. That's a promise, ok?" "Swear?" Lexie asked, snuffling. "Lexie, Darling, look at me." Archie waited until she did so before continuing: "Good. Now, I swear on a stack of bibles & the Glen Bogle Stone, you'll never hear me say that name again, ok?" "Ok, but if you ever...!" "I won't. I swear!" He actually had a pretty radical plan in mind of how to make his promise very easy to keep, but now was not the time for that. "Good, because if you do, I'll be off this Estate & out of your life faster than you can say Lassele's Bank! Clear?" This time it was Archie's turn to shudder; he knew Lexie was deadly serious. "Clear." He nodded. "That does mean that you'll have to be one to tell everyone though, so that I don't break my word." This caused yet more tears to spring to Lexie's eyes, but she knew Archie had a point; she'd painted herself into a corner there. She blinked the tears away & looked up at him: "Ok, I can do that once; no questions, everyone together, as long as you promise to be there to hold me afterwards?" "I promise, I'll be right with you the whole time & we'll get it over with as quickly as possible, tomorrow, ok?" Lexie nodded vigorously & earned herself another quick but tender kiss to seal the bargain before she spoke again: "Good, now that scheming, over- dressed, over-paid PERSON is out of our lives forever, you were saying something about how I saved Glen Bogle?" Relieved beyond words that his loved one's black mood had lifted, Archie sighed with sheer contentment & continued with his explanation: "Well, as I was saying, if you hadn't seen what was happening & done something about it, the rest of us would have carried on making complete fools of ourselves. So, you see we'd all be packing our bags right now & this would be the worst day of my life instead of the best!" He must have said the right thing for he was rewarded with a soul- shattering kiss.