Elain was standing in The Fox's Field, slowly getting more nervous. It was the same restaurant Lucien had asked her to meet at, to speak with, one year prior, to the day.

Elain had booked the entire restaurant, wanting the privacy. She was trying to make the restaurant have the feel of what the two had been through the past year. She left the entrance dark and cold, because, truly, the horrifying time they had both been through was the beginning of their new start. She needed to incorporate it, in a way, so the two of them could finally put it in their past. She hoped after this evening, the two of them could finally put that dark, dark time in their past.

Elain hadn't realized her hand reaching up to feel the harsh, jagged scar on the right side of her neck, that travelled down to above her heart, until she had felt the harsh edges of said scar. They wouldn't be able to puteverythingof that time in the past. There would always be physical reminders.

Putting that time from her mind, she had turned her gaze onto the next moment, to the still dark, but much warmer part of the entrance, signifying when Elain had asked Lucien to stay. To not give up. It was the first night they had truly started to come close. She had explained that she would still need some patience from him as she got used to the idea of the new dynamics, but that she wanted to try. Wanted to get to know them.

There were memories in the restaurant of the first time they had fought, Lucien feeling as though Elain was just putting him through the same thing again, after two months of no movement, and Elain had to inform him that she was doing her research. She needed distance, and patience as she did research, so she knew what she was dealing with. She knew why things were feeling different. The fight had ended then, with Lucien appearing shocked, as if he wasn't expecting that at all. As if he were honestly expecting Elain to tell him that it was true, that she hadn't wanted him and that Titus was right. She just couldn't tell him to his face. The look had hurt Elain, and she had found herself walking towards Lucien, and pulling him in a hug.

Elain then noticed the spot signifying all the walked the two would take. The had taken hundreds. Through gardens, by rivers, near shops. Any time Lucien visited the Night Court, which was far more than he had before, they would walk. They would go for walks, nearly every day when he would visit. Elain found herself shocked at how often she would laugh when they would be out walking. She hadn't originally thought Lucien to be humorous, but he was.

There were hundreds of memories in the past year, both good and bad, she simply could not hope to signify them all here in the restaurant. Elain hoped to have many more. Tonight would determine if they would or not.

Suddenly, Elain heard the door open behind her, and turned around, to see Lucien walk in, only to feel fluttering within her stomach. She offered a small smile, even though Lucien had not looked at Elain long, shocked at how transformed the restaurant had become. He still hadn't gotten a replacement eye yet. Apparently when Lucien had told his friend in the Dawn Court about what had happened with his previous eye, she was quite upset that her eye had broken so easily, and was taking extra time to make sure the next one wouldn't break so easily. So Lucien still had just an eye patch covering his left eye for now, to keep any dirt from entering the empty socket.

"Elain, did- did you do this?" Lucien had asked, barely above a whisper.

Elain found herself nodding, with a soft smile, suddenly finding herself highly nervous. What if she was making a huge mistake? What if this didn't go as planned? What if-

Suddenly she felt Lucien gently rest his hands on her arms. "It's amazing." He reassured, before gently placing a kiss on the side of her forehead. Elain couldn't stop her heart from skipping a beat, or the flutter in her stomach, just as she couldn't stop the small smile that had formed.

"Shall we sit?" Lucien had asked, pulling back, far too quickly, leading Elain to the only table set, and pulling a chair out for her.

"Thank you." Elain said, looking over at Lucien as he sat.

The two sat there, just taking each other in, before Elain found herself looking down, again worried. What if it doesn't go right. What if he didn't want it. What would happen then?

"Hey, Elain. What's wrong?"

Looking up at Lucien, she started to respond. "Oh nothing, I was just…" She stopped speaking when she heard her voice waiver. Intending to just take a deep breath and start again, she did so, only to realize that the breath she took was shaking. Was she- was she crying?

"Elain?"

She had decided now was the time, she had better start explaining now. "I was just, thinking. About last year." Elain started, and before she could continue, Lucien had cut in, trying to reassure her.

"No, it's okay, You don't need to think about that anymore. It's in the past." Lucien said, reaching across the table, taking Elains hand.

"You're right, it is in the past. But I haven't been able to leave it in the past. It's been on my mind every day. I'm just hoping that after tonight, we can finally leave it in the past, for good." Elain explained.

Elain could see Lucien was trying to hide his confused expression, why, she didn't know, but he was trying to hide it. Probably not to upset her more.

"As awful as it was, there is only one thing I would change about the whole ordeal." Elain explained, finally feeling the tears now. She tried not to feel the pain as Lucien pulled his hand back, as shock covered his face, and Elain rushed to continue, before Lucien spoke.

"I still have nightmares. I want to say that I wish it never happened, but I can't, because, that horrible, terrifying experience, made me realize, what this thing between us means. Who you are. How important you are. I wish you weren't there. I wish your brother focused more on me." Elain said, closing her eyes, leaning back in the chair, wanting to hide away, feeling ashamed.

"I was awful to you. But what we went through, made me realize how awful, for forcing you at a distance. I hadn't given you the chance you deserved. I hadn't even been willing to get to know you on a surface level. And then we went through that horrifying experience. The only thing I would change, the one thing, would be that I wasn't so easily manipulated." Elain explained, forcing herself to meet Luciens gaze, to see shock turn into confusion.

"You said you heard me. Heard me beg you to stay, how I needed you to stay. But I don't think you heard anything before that. I was told that you would die. And thathehad a healer who could help, but it was to late, because at that point, you were- I had made you to insane to even allow a healer near you. So the only way to save your life was to get you to eat something I made you, and to be quick about it. I was, I was- I was told you would be gone in ten minutes. I should have known better, because at that point, you were too far gone, at too weak, to fight anyone off, even if you wanted to." Elain explained looking up at the ceiling to keep from fully breaking down, and thus she had missed the quick look of anger cross Luciens face. Anger at his brother.

After making sure she could continue, Elain looked back at Lucien. "I don't regret the decision I made, not one bit. But I regret allowing myself to be manipulated like that. How could I have been so easily manipulated like that? I don't regret what I did, but the timing should have been my choice, and that was stolen from me." Elain wiped the tears from her eyes. "It is the one thing I would change. I would not allow myself to be so easily manipulated. You would have been healed, Eris would have still shown up, I would still have asked you to stay. Nothing in this past year would have changed. We would still be sitting in these chairs, at this table, right now. The only thing that would have been different would have been the timing of my choice would not have been stolen from me."

"Elain." Lucien said, as though he had sounded on the brink of breaking himself, and made to stand up before Elain stopped him.

"No! Stay sitting. I'm not done yet! Stay sitting." Elain said, before wiping more tears, and looking up, trying to compose herself before continuing. "The hard parts done."

"Oh…..Kay." Lucien had said, before sitting back in his chair, looking at Elain, confused and concern still written plain on his face, the smallest spark of amusement starting to shine in his eye.

It had taken a few moments, but eventually, Elain had calmed down enough, where she could trust herself to speak and explain again.

"While you were in the human lands this past week-" Elain started before getting interrupted.

"Day Court."

"I'm sorry?" Elain asked, looking at Lucien, confused.

"I wasn't in the Human Lands. I was in the Day Court. I'm going to be moving there permanently starting in the turn of the new year. I was ho…. I'm going to stop talking and wait until you're done, before you become more annoyed that I interrupted." Lucien was saying.

But Elain wasn't annoyed. She was just smiling, looking at Lucien. She was happy that he had finally found a family that wanted him. That loved him. He had deserved that.

It had taken her a moment before she realized that she was in the middle of explaining. "Yeah, anyway, while you were in the Day Court this past week, I've been planning. To make sure when you did show up, you would havea solstice surprisewaiting just for you." Elain started.

So I made sure to book out the entire restaurant, knowing its your favourite here. I took time to decorate. I learned that your favourite meal here is actually really difficult to make, so I'm sorry, I gave up on that, after the third try of it turning out inedible. The chef refused to walk me through it anymore." She said, starting to see realization dawn in Luciens eyes.

That was the moment the silently motioned the waiter to bring over the platter, setting it in front of Elain. "I wish I could do more than this, but there wasn't any time. So sandwiches it is." Elain said, as she started making two sandwiches, and placed them on two plates, leaving the waiter to take the platter away.

Elain held the one plate out to Lucien. "I know, technically, this doesn't mean anything. It doesn't- I mean, It won't change anything… physically, that is. I already did this a year ago." Elain said, silently cursing herself for now starting to trip up over her words. She knew why too, because what she was going to say next, was something she had never said before. She hadn't even said it to Greyson while she was engaged to him.

"Lucien, I don't know when it happened, but it did. Last year, I did this, because I was saving your life. But right now, I am doing this, because, because I love you. I know it wont change anything physically, but that major difference means it changes everything emotionally this time. And before you do anything, know that you aren't dying this time, and you don't need to turn it down, because I've done my research, and I know exactly what I am doing. I know I am fully ready to accept every freighting, confusing, overwhelming, amazing part that comes with this mating bond. So the question is, will you finally eat a sandwich I have made you? I promise they aren't that bad." Elain said, holding the plate out to Lucien, hopeful, not wanting to read his face, just let him make a decision.

It felt like forever, when in reality, it only took a few seconds, and when he had decided, Elain couldn't control the tears that had again started to fall. She watched Lucien, sitting across the table, unable to believe the choice he made, watching him, unable to even wipe the tears away. Watching him, it felt like forever, and she felt like a fool for crying. Why was she crying again. Nothing would change. Nothing. She sat there, leaning back in her seat, losing all strength, after such an emotional evening, unable to even look at her own sandwich as he sat there, just watching her cry.

The moment he had swallowed the first bite of the sandwich though, watching her, she couldn't describe it. It felt like the first time, a year ago he had eaten that stale piece of bread with the smallest amount of butter. Her whole chest warmed with the kindest flame, and brightest sunshine. She could see the ribbon of their mating bond behind Luciens head, as he still held the sandwich in his hands, seeming to be experiencing the same thing she was, and that ribbon seemed to glow brighter.

The sensations had faded away as quickly as they had appeared, leaving Elain and Lucien looking at each other, first, confused, before they both just smiled at each other. Elain found, she couldn't be happier, than she was in this very moment.