Author's Note: This idea came to me as I was reading over A Night Never To Be Forgotten. I'm not exactly satisfied with it and I am not sure that it comes across the way I intended but I don't know what else to do with it… so, I hope you like, at least a little bit.
Summary: Tony forgot a minor detail and Michelle has begun to wonder about the missing minor detail.
It was Friday and it slow at CTU. Tony was over at Division and Michelle was sitting at her desk staring at her naked finger, her naked ring finger, her naked left ring finger.
It had been 4 months since he had asked her to marry him and she had naturally said yes. He had, after the fact of course, asked her father's permission to marry her to which her father responded, "how can I say no when my pumpkin has already said yes". He told his parents and his brood of siblings. His mother had thrown a party for them and she, along with his twin sister and sisters-in-law had offered to help her with planning the wedding. He even told a not-too-happy-but-he'll-get-over-it Chappelle about their upcoming nuptials.
It seemed as if he had done everything, except the second most important thing.
She wondered if she was being shallow, but quickly tossed that thought out the window. It was not shallow, not shallow at all to wonder… where your engagement ring was. It had been 4 months after all and she was well into planning the wedding. She had been proposed to, she had said yes and she was planning a wedding… all without an engagement ring.
Even though she was not one to wear rings, diamonds are a girl's best friend and she was still a girl.
Did he not think she wanted to modestly sport a flashy diamond on her finger? Did he not think she wanted to be asked Are you engaged? Did he not think she wanted to answer Yes and to the most amazing man? Did he not think she wanted to hear Your ring is beautiful and Congratulations?
What was wrong with her amazing man? And where was her ring?
Not that she was being shallow.
She was pulled from her musings when her phone rang.
"Dessler"
"Hey"
It was her amazing man who had something wrong with him.
"Hey"
"How are things going over there?"
"Fine"
"Nothing's happening?"
"No"
"You OK?"
"Yeah"
She was a chatterbox and the only time she dispensed one word answers was when she was either mad at him or she was cranky because she was nearing that time of the month.
"You sure?"
"Yeah"
"Then what's with the one word answers?"
"Nothing"
He was not buying it. The one-word answers and the tone in her voice and the fact that that time of the month had just passed…
"Michelle, what's wrong?"
"Nothing's… wrong."
Nothing… except that he had forgotten that a ring must accompany a marriage proposal.
"You sound like something's wrong" he insisted.
"Nothing's wrong" she insisted. "Are you coming over tonight? I need you to look at the invitations."
"Don't try to change the subject. What's wrong?"
"Nothing"
"Uh um… WHAT IS IT?"
He was not letting it go.
"NOTHING"
And neither was she.
Nothing, absolutely nothing was wrong… except the minor detail he forgot. But she was not about to tell him that. She didn't want to seem shallow after all.
"You think you're going to keep it from me?"
"Keep what from you?" she feigned ignorance.
"It"
"There is no it to keep from you."
Except that minor detail…
"Michelle…"
"I need to go" she interrupted him as she looked down at her watch. "I'm meeting Danny for lunch."
"This conversation isn't over, you do know that right?"
"If you say so tyrant."
She called him tyrant when she thought he acted as though he was still in the marines giving out orders to subordinates.
"You'll be punished later for that bit of insubordination sergeant."
"May I be dismissed lieutenant?"
"You're dismissed… oh and sergeant?"
"Yes?"
"Love you."
"You're still a tyrant."
"A tyrant you said yes to."
And a tyrant who doesn't know that a ring goes along with a proposal.
"Love makes you do crazy things."
"Love made you do it huh?"
"It would seem so."
"Well… that's good to know. That you did it for love."
"Goodbye Tony" she said with a smile in her voice.
"Hey"
"Yes"
"I wanna take you out to dinner tonight and I want you to wear that red dress I like" he said in a tender voice.
She smiled. How could she resist him when he used that voice on her?
"I'll see if I'm free" she teased.
"And what better place would you rather be than with the man you love?" he said.
No place, she smiled.
"I think I may be able to squeeze you in."
"Squeeze me in… I think I like the sound of that" he said in a seductive voice.
For some reason, maybe the way he said it, made her blush at his innuendo.
"Quit it Tony" she tried using the stern voice with him.
"I thought you liked it when I talk dirty to you" he couldn't resist teasing her and wishing he was there to see her face.
"I am going to kill you" she said in a very calm voice as she looked around foolishly wondering if anyone had overheard his comment.
He laughed at her threat.
"I'll pick you up at eight sweetheart."
The doorbell rang and Michelle gave herself one last look over before heading to the door. She opened the door to find her amazing tyrant man who had something wrong with him standing there with a bouquet of a flowers… a dozen red and white roses.
"Tony!" she exclaimed, a bright smile lighting up her face.
He had never given her flowers before.
He smiled, glad that she liked the flowers.
"You look good" he leered as his eyes traveled from her beautifully made-up face down to her delicately exposed bosom, then down her slim waist and over her curvy hips as he lecherously thought about the fun he was going to having getting underneath that red dress later that night.
"The roses are beautiful" she reached out to take the flowers as she tried to ignore the I-want-to-eat-you-alive look he was giving her body.
He stepped toward her and planted a juicy kiss on her rosy lips before he handed the bouquet to her.
"Beautiful flowers… for a beautiful lady" he spouted the cliché, thinking he sounded like a cornball.
"Aaaww" she smiled at his cornball cliché. "You're so sweet" she said before planting her own juicy kiss on his lips.
That smile, those words and that kiss made sounding like a cornball worthwhile.
"Let me put these in some water and I'll be ready to go" she said after she ended her kiss.
His eyes stayed clued to her hips as she sauntered out of the living room. When she came back, they headed to the romantic restaurant he had chosen and they enjoyed a full course meal with dessert to top it off.
"You know we're gonna have to work all this food off" he said intimately as he gave her the look that she would come to know as the I-wanna-make-wild-crazy-love-to-you look.
"A walk on the beach should do it" she said, deliberating misinterpreting the strong sexual undertones he was shooting her way.
"A walk on the beach wouldn't even take care of the appetizer" he leaned back in his chair and grinned as a vision of him stripping her of that red dress he liked and everything underneath it and making love to her on the beach popped in his head.
"You don't think so?"
"Nope"
She folded her arms on the table and leaned forward. The wine she had with dinner helped her to be cast aside the lingering shyness she had when she flirting with him sexually.
"Well, what did you have in mind?"
"I'll show you" he said as he eyes slid from hers, down her neck to her exposed bosom and back up to her eyes. "After we take that walk. Check please" he said to the passing waiter as he held her gaze.
"The sky is so beautiful tonight" she gazed up at the moon and star lit sky as they walked barefoot and hand-n-hand along the beach.
"You know, this is how it was suppose to be."
"How what was supposed to be?" she asked, still looking up at the sky.
He stopped and turned to stand directly in front of her. He grinned at her as he raised her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it.
"I was suppose to give you a dozen roses…" he planted a second kiss on the back of her hand. "Then I was suppose to take you to a romantic restaurant…" he kissed the back of her hand a third time. "Then I was suppose to take you on a walk on the beach…" kiss number four landed on the back of her hand.
"And then…" he paused.
…
…
"And then what?" she asked
"Wait a minute" he said.
…
"And then I was supposed to" he started again after his watch beeped. "Get down on one knee at midnight" he said as he got down on one knee. "And ask you to marry me."
She could do nothing but smile as her eyes began to mist up.
There may be something terribly wrong with him, but in her eyes, her amazing tyrant man was perfect… perfect for her.
He may have forgotten to give her a ring, but after what he did tonight, after what he was doing right now…
And he wasn't done yet…
"Since I've already asked you to marry me and you already said yes" he looked up at her. "I was wondering if I asked again, would you mind saying yes again."
He had made her cry again.
The ring didn't matter all that much now. As long as she had him, she knew she already had the most precious diamond in the world…
He reached into his pocket and pulled out that forgotten minor detail.
"Michelle" he said as he opened the velvet case. "Will you marry me?"
Suddenly, she felt silly that she had raked him over the coals because he had forgotten to give her a ring.
Suddenly, she felt like an idiot because she was going to give him the what-for for forgetting to give her a ring.
Suddenly, she felt embarrassed that she had even thought that he had forgotten to give her a ring.
And just as suddenly, she felt loved… loved more than ever by him because he was sweet enough to ask her to marry him again.
As she watched him slid the ring on her finger, her ring finger, her left ring finger, her mischievous self reared her pretty little head.
Michelle, will you marry me he had asked.
"I'll have to think about it" her voice quivered with emotion as another tear snaked down her cheek.
"Think about it!" he barked as he stood to his feet. "You're talking crazy now woman" he said softly as he reached around her waist and yanked her toward him. "You're mine now" he uttered in a low voice as he touched her forehead with his. "And I'm never letting you go."
"You'd better not" she smiled at her amazing tyrant man as fresh tears streamed down her face.
…
…
…
…
"I still haven't gotten my yes" he said.
"Yes to what?"
"My question."
"What question?"
"Will you marry me?"
…
…
Then finally he got his answer again.
"Yes"
He drove her up a wall then made her squirm widthwise across the bed, before he finally gave them both what they wanted and it did not take long for her to find out that he was still in want.
After insisting that they go another round, then another, then one more because he wasn't sure if they had worked off all the food yet, they lay there, he on his back, she on her stomach on top of him. The scent of hot lovemaking floated through the room and their naked bodies were covered with a thin layer of sweat. As their heart rates had returned to normal, all that could be heard was their even breathing.
She smiled dreamily as her fingers grazed over his chest and thought how happy and fully satisfied she was with his diligent workout.
"Baby?"
"Yeah" she yawned, exhausted from the long day and the long lovemaking.
"What was going on with you today when I called?"
"I thought you forgot" she whispered drowsily as she closed her eyes for sleep.
"Forgot what?" he said as he stroked her naked bottom.
"The ring" she murmured as she laid her hand that sported said ring on his bicep and slipped further into sleep.
After he played out the scenario in his head, including her chewing him out for forgetting the ring, he laughed.
"What's funny?" she asked, still drifting into sleepland.
"You thinking I forgot your ring, you being pissed at me" he chuckled. "And the eventual ass chewing you were planning on giving me" he snorted louder.
"I wasn't pissed at you and I wasn't going to chew you out… exactly."
"Yes you were, on both counts" he said. "I can't believe you thought I forgot!"
"Well, it has been 4 months."
"You know what?" he said as he rolled them over and settled himself between her legs. "I think you've insulted me."
"I did not" she insisted as she opened her sleepy eyes. "I just thought you forgot" she gave me an innocent smile.
"It's insulting to a man…"
"And his ego" she inserted.
"To have his woman, the woman he loves think that he could ask her to marry him and not give her a ring" he raised his brow at her.
"Well…it has been 4 months" she repeated sweetly. "What was I suppose to think?" she asked innocently.
"You were suppose to have faith in your man."
"I do…" she assured him.
"But you thought I forgot" he said, frowning at her.
"Only because it's been 4 months honey."
"You still should have had faith in me."
"I do…" she repeated. "I do… but what took you so long?" she tentatively asked.
"I had to wait for the stars and moon" he said simply.
When his words dawned on her sleepy mind, she fell in love with him all over again.
His first proposal was perfect, but that wasn't how it was suppose to be. So he waited for the stars and moon and proposed to her again so that it could be how it was suppose to be.
He had made her cry again.
"And…" her voice quivering again. "That's why I do love you so very much."
…
…
"I hope you don't think those tears" he smiled as he wiped them away. "Are going to negate your punishment for that bit of insubordination you displayed earlier today."
"They're not?" she whined.
"Nope"
Michelle grinned as her lieutenant lowered his head.
As sleepy as she was, she did not mind her punishment too much… after all they hadn't worked off dessert yet…