Bradin and Elie sat in one of the finest restaurants in Los Angeles. Elie noticed that Bradin was NOT himself one bit. He was too quiet and kept his eyes focused on whatever was on the table in front of him.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?" she asked.

He looked up at her and back down at the table shaking his head. Elie didn't like that he answered with the shake of his head. Yet, she didn't want to force him. Bradin's hand was in his pocket. He kept playing around with the box making him more nervous.

"I'll be right back," he said standing up. He walked to the men's room and ran cold water. He cupped some in his hands and splashed it against his face.

"Proposing?" a man's voice asked. Braidn looked up and saw a man around Johnny's age smiling at him.

"How'd you know?" Bradin asked shutting the water off.

"I acted the same way before I proposed to my wife. But, it turned out to be the best night of our lives. Don't be nervous. All you have to do is be the man she fell in love with."

Bradin nodded towards the guy and walked out of the restroom. He sat back down. "Are you okay?" Elie asked.

"I'm fine." After that, they got lost in coversation. They walked in a nearby park after they ate. Bradin fell silent again. He thought and thought and decided to wait on proposing to her. It wasn't the right time to ask her. He didn't want to lose her after only four days of being with her again.

Weeks passed. Bradin and Elie got closer and more happier with each other. Elie found a job at a dance studio not far from the apartment where she taught young girls how to dance. Bradin was happy that she didn't give up on dancing. She stopped singing professionally. Every once in a while, he would catch her singing as she did things around the apartment.

Bradin was driving home from work late one evening. He felt so bad that he didn't call Elie to tell her he was staying late. He didn't have the time because his boss was being a jerk. He just hoped that she wasn't mad. He parked his car. He walked up to the apartment and used his key to unlock the door. He found that it was already unlocked. It was unlike Elie to leave it like that. He opened the door slowly and walked inside. He found stuff all over the floor.

"Elie!" he shouted running further into the apartment, "Elie!" He went into their bedroom and found her lying lifeless on the floor. "Oh god," he said rushing to her side. He checked for her pulse and found a slow one.

He waited in the Emergency Room waiting room staring at the engagement ring he wanted to give Elie. he had his other hand in front of his mouth. He closed the box and his eyes at the same time.

"Excuse me?" he heard. He peered up and saw the doctor who took care of Elie. "I have news on your girlfriend." Bradin stood up and listened to what the doctor said. "It appears that she got into a fight with someone. And, we're guessing that the other person involved threw your girlfriend to the floor causing her head to hit the floor hard giving her a concussion. She will be fine. We want to keep her for a few days to keep an eye on her."

Bradin nodded. "Can I see her?"

The doctor nodded and led Brain to Elie's hospital room. When they arrived, Bradin walked up to the bed. He took a deep breath trying not to cry at how his girlfriend looked. She had bruises on her arms and a mark on her cheek looking as if she was hit by a guy. He kissed her forehead and pulled up a chair. He'd lay with her but didn't want to be kicked out of the room. He sat in the chair, took her one hand, and rested his head on the bed as tears fell down his face.

The following morning, Elie awoke and looked around the room. She tried to sit up when pain shot through her head.

"Good morning," a nurse said walking in, "How are you feeling?"

"Okay, I guess," she said softly.

The nurse handed Elie some pills to take to help with the headache. "Your boyfriend was here for a while," the nurse told her, "I sent him home to wash up and head off to work if he needed to."

"Who found me?"

"Your boyfriend," she was told, "He came home from work and found you unconcious in your bedroom. We're just thanking God that he found you when he did. Otherwise, you wouldn't be up yet."

Bradin walked into the room. "Baby," he said rushing up to her and taking her into his arms, "How are you feeling?"

"Sore," she said pulling away, "I thought you had work."

"I called in an explained what happened. The boss was fine with it. I just have to go in tomorrow." The nurse left the couple alone. "What happened?" he asked sitting on the bed.

She sat back in the bed and sighed. "My foster father came over," she began, "He wanted to talk about everything. We ended up arguing and I ended up here."

"I'm so sorry that I wasn't there," he said, "My boss kept me late until the person for the next shift came which wasn't for an hour. I feel so bad for not being there for you."

"You're here now," she said, "It's all I can ask for." He leaned forward and kissed her before pulling her into his arms. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you, too, baby."

Days passed and Elie was able to return home. She walked into the apartment and felt Bradin wrap his arms around her from behind. "How does it feel to be back?" he asked.

"It's better here than at the hospital," she said, "I don't know how I'm going to act if I go into the hospital again. I can't deal with it anymore."

She felt Bradin turn her around and stared into her eyes. "You won't go back in there. I promise. I'm here to protect you. I won't leave unless I have to work or something bad is going on."

She nodded and kissed him. "Thank you for everything."

"Anything for you," he said, "Now, what can I do for you?"

"I don't care," she said sitting on the couch, "I just want to stay safe from my father."

Bradin sat beside her and placed his arm around her. "We can call the police and have them keep an eye out for him. We can have a cop around you at all time, even when I'm not with you." He watched as she covered her face with her hands. "Baby, what's wrong?"

She uncovered her face. "It's just the things that my father told me that night. I can't get them out of my head."

"Whatever he said, fuck it. None of it is true. Elie, you're an amazing lady. You make lots of people happy. The nurses loved you at the hospital. You brightened their days. You're my world, Elie. I'll die without you. There's something I want to ask you. I've been wanting to ask you for months. I just don't know if it's the right time."

"What is it?" she asked looking at him.

"Just remember that I love you and I don't want this to ruin anything between us."

"Brae, just ask."

He knelt down on one knee in front of her and asked, "Will you marry me?"

He watched as Elie's face fell to shock. He knew that he ruined what they shared together. In Elie's mind, everything that her father told her that night became a lie. A guy like Bradin comes every once in a lifetime, at least in a girl who has lived like Elie. He made Elie realize at that moment that she was meant to live. She bit her lower lip and nodded. Bradin grinned and kissed her. He went into his pocket and pulled out the ring. He took it from the box and placed it on her ring finger.

A/N: no the story isn't over yet. there's still some more...action/drama coming. i am sooooooooo happy right now i thought i'd leave you readers like this. oh life couldn't be any more amazing.