Galena
Chapter 8
1 hour after Galena left Adam in the lab.
Galena felt her temper rising as she looked through Sanctuary to find Jesse. She had been looking for him since she left the lab and was getting irritated by the fact that she still could not find him. Finally reaching her boiling point she raised her com link to her mouth so she could find out where he was. "Jesse, where are you? I've got a bit of a surprise for you."
"What kind of surprise?" Jesse asked, half nervous about what she might answer.
"Adam made reservations for us to go to Bella Noche tonight." she smiled brightly. "What kind of surprise did you think I was talking about?"
"I just had no idea." he let out the breath he had been unknowingly holding. "You tend to through some pretty big curve balls my way."
"Well, I'm not pregnant or anything like that, so you don't have to worry." she giggled slightly. "Maybe we should think about starting to try though. Things are starting to look up a little."
"Not until we get married. I'll go get ready in a while, wear that dress you wore to my birthday party."
"Alright." she sighed. "I love you."
"I love you too, baby." Jesse answered softly.
Galena frowned slightly and then made her way out to the garage where Brennan was working on the cars.
"What has he done?" Brennan asked when he saw her.
"Nothing wrong." Galena said as she opened the car door and sat down in the seat. "He's just been so secretive over the last few days. He's hardly spoken to me at all, and it is really starting to stress me out!"
"He's got a lot on his mind, Gal. He's been worried about you ever since Adam told us about how unstable your powers are, and the fact that this Dr. Rickers still hasn't contacted Adam is probably worrying him even more." Brennan tried to answer the girl with out smiling. While his concern was genuine he knew that the girl would understand later. "I promise you that things will get better as his stress level goes down. I've known him a bit longer than you have, and you've got nothing to worry about."
"Alright." she agreed and leaned back into the seat. "I just wish he would talk to me about what is bothering him."
Brennan sighed as he want back to work on the car. "Are you starting to doubt you decision to marry him?"
"No." her tone became indignant. "Jesse and I really want to get married. We've managed to work through all of our differences , and we both love each other."
"I just want make sure that you are doing what you want to do with your life. You have got your whole life ahead of you, and there is no need for you to force yourself to do anything that you don't want to do."
"I'm ready to do this. I want to marry him."
"Then I guess that you are just going to have to get used to some of his little idiosyncrasies. He tends to shut down when he's got something on his mind. Jess doesn't want to bother everyone with his thoughts until he's gotten through some of them himself. He'll talk to you when he's ready to tell you what is going on with him. Just don't push him to talk to you. The more you push the more he is going to withdraw."
"That is definitely one thing that you don't have to tell me. I've learned that the hard way when it comes to Juliet. He won't talk to me about her and what they had together."
"Juliet is one subject that I'm going to tell you to avoid. No matter how much he loves you he is not going to tell you about it. It is something that is deep with in his heart, and he's been very sensitive about her since she died."
"Right." Galena sighed. "I guess that I'd better get going then. Adam made me and Jess a reservation at Bella Noche, and I want to look as nice as I possibly can."
"One of these days I'm going to figure out why we always spoil you. Adam setting up a nice date for the two of you, the fact that Shal and I have found a nice little present for you." He smiled slightly as he looked at the girl and watched her break into a smile. "Did we forget to give you your present?"
"Yes." she laughed slightly. "It is no where near my birthday you know. There is no need for you to buy me a present."
"You save the life of the woman who is my life." he turned serious. "I hate to say it, Kiddo, but you are deserving of everything that I could possibly give you. Now, get out of her and go doll yourself up for a nice night out. I promise that I won't wait up for you."
"You'd better not!" Galena laughed as she got up and left the room. Since she had a couple of hours before she and Jesse were going to leave, she did a quick search for Shalimar. She finally found the woman in the laundry room. "You up for some fun today?"
"I don't know." Shalimar smiled as she looked up at the girl. "What kind of "fun" are you talking about us having?"
"Getting me ready to go out with Jess. Adam made us a reservation at Bella Noche. I was hoping that you would help me get ready for it."
"We'd better get Emma to help too." she paused for a moment as she thought. "You could wear that dress Jess just bought you, the one that is supposed to be a replacement for the one that the wine ruined."
"Nope, he wants me in the dress I wore to his birthday party. I guess that he wants a chance to enjoy it since he hardly got to spend more than a few minutes with me before one of his family's friends came in and interrupted us."
"Right." Shalimar smiled. "So we'll go find Emma and then get you ready for your night out."
"She's going out somewhere?" Emma asked as she stepped into the room. "I guess this means that you have gotten a clean bill of health."
"Yep." Galena answered, her bright hazel eyes sparkling. "And Adam has already made me and Jess a reservation at Bella Noche. Jess wants me to wear the dress that I wore to his birthday party, but I've got to figure out a way to sneak some naughty lingerie out with me."
"I'd forgotten how hard the last few weeks had been for you." Shalimar smiled. "You've had to take it easy on all fronts."
"I'll make reservations for you and take the stuff you need to the bed and breakfast downtown." Emma said after thinking for a moment. "You can totally surprise Jess. I'll even make sure that he hasn't made any reservations of his own. You two go get started and I'll meet up with you in a bit." she quickly left the room as she hurried off to make all of the arrangements.
"We'd better get going." Shalimar said as she finished loading the washing machine. "That guy of yours deserves a good treat after having to keep his hands off you for the last few weeks."
"You know Adam didn't make me completely give up sex." Galena laughed. "He thought that would be just far too much for me."
"You are definitely one very spoiled girl." Shalimar smiled. "Of course, Adam was probably right. Jess calms you down and without him there is no telling how you would have done for the last few weeks. But, the point is that we have to get you all dolled up tonight!"
"Then to work we go." Galena said as she followed Shalimar down the hall to her and Jesse's bedroom.
"Get your dress and stuff and we'll go to mine and Brennan's room to get you ready. I don't want Jess walking in on us halfway through the transformation." Shalimar gathered up the girl's make up and perfumes as she spoke.
Galena quickly pulled her dress and shoes out of the closet and then dug through a couple of her dresser drawers for the undergarments for the dress and the lingerie and stuff for later at the bed and breakfast. With a hurried glance around she grabbed a handbag and followed Shalimar out of the room.
"Hang your dress on the closet and we'll get started." Shalimar instructed as she began to set out all of Galena's make up and pulled out her own. "Now, we have to make sure that you look absolutely gorgeous tonight, so sit down on the bed and we'll get to work."
"Don't overdo it." Galena said as she sat down on the navy blue bed spread and watched her cousin-in-law begin to go through all of the colors out on display. "Jess doesn't like it when I wear my make up too heavily."
"That is because he thinks that you are just the most naturally beautiful woman. He loves you more than anything, and I swear that he makes us crazy with the way that he loves you." Shalimar piked up the bottle of foundation and canister of face powder that she had brought from Galena's room. "Now, you just be a good girl and let me get to work on that make up job."
"Alright." Galena tilted her face up so that Shalimar could begin to put her foundation on her. "Has Jess talked to you much lately?"
"No, he's been busy with either you or his work, why?"
"It's just that he's been kind of distant. Bren said that he gets like that sometimes when he's thinking over something, but I was just wondering if he had mentioned anything to you over the last few days."
"Nope, I'm afraid not." Shalimar smiled as she thought about it for a second and realized why Jesse had been quiet with Galena. "He's got a lot on his mind, and now that you're back in good shape some of his worries will be abated."
"Everyone puts too much weight on my health." Galena frowned slightly. "I really don't think that me being better is really going to affect how much he's been with drawn. What if he's scared to be with me any longer and is going to break up with me?"
"He's not going to break up with you, Galena. Close your eyes." Shalimar took a deep breath and started to carefully seal Galena's foundation with the powder. "I think that if anything, you being better is going to help him get ready to take further steps. He wants to be with you, have a couple of kids, maybe even move out into that white picket fence dream house."
"I still can't convince him to have a baby now. I want to give him his child now, while I still have the strength for it."
"After Shyla Rickers gets here you'll have the strength for anything." Emma said as she walked into the room. "She's going to make you even stronger than you are now, and then you'll be ready to start a family.'
"After you two are properly married, otherwise Brennan will kill him." Shalimar added. "Pick up a comb and start on her hair, Em."
"Putting it up or wearing it down?" Emma asked as she picked up a bottle of hair floss, put some in her hands, and then began to run her fingers through Galena's thick brown locks.
"Up, but in that sexy and kind of messy way." Galena opened her eyes and watched as Shalimar looked through a collection of blushes. "Make sure that a couple of strands hit down by my face."
"We know what we're doing, Galena." Shalimar smiled as she sat down next to the girl. "Just relax and trust us."
A couple of hours later
Galena stepped out of Shalimar and Brennan's bed room, having been completely fixed up for her night out. She hesitated for a second and then walked down the hall to where her and Jesse's shared bedroom was. About the second that she touched the door handle to the bedroom, the door to Jesse's old room opened.
"Those two really got you all dolled up didn't they?" he asked as he took her hand and pulled her to him for a soft kiss.
"You look pretty good yourself." she whispered, her hands gliding over his tuxedo jacket as she put her arms around his neck. " I just hope that you're ready for tonight."
"I've been looking forward to this for weeks." he kissed her again and then pulled her arms down from around him. "We'd better hit the road. I don't want to miss our reservation after Adam went to the trouble of making it for us."
"Right." Galena straightened out her skirt and then took Jesse's hand as they walked down the hall.
Two hours later.
Galena laughed and took a sip of her champagne as she looked across the table at Jesse. "You know, the sad thing is that you ruined my dress the last time that we were here. I hope that we don't have a repeat of that."
"I guess that we can avoid ruining another dress." he poured each of them more champagne. "I'm glad that you're alright now."
"I guess our life will never be easy." her eyes clouded over slightly and she looked down at the table.
"Galena, look." he took a deep breath and reached in his pocket as he got up and walked around the table to her. "I guarantee there'll be tough times. I guarantee at some point one or both of us is going to want to get out of this thing."
Galena smiled as she realized what was happening.
Jesse returned his smile as he continued on. "But I also guarantee that if I don't ask you to be mine, I'll regret it the rest of my life because I know, in my heart, you're the only one for me." he opened the jewelry box to reveal a golden band set with a three carat emerald cut ruby that was surrounded by baguette diamonds. "So if you can say the same thing will you marry me?"
"You memorized the speech." Galena whispered as she stared at the ring. "Yes, yes I'll marry you."
Jesse slid the ring onto the finger of her left hand and then met her lips as she leaned into kiss him.
"Did you and Adam have this planned out?" she asked when she finally pulled away.
"He knew that I was planning to propose soon, and that I wanted to bring you back here when I did, but I never asked him to set it up for me." he softly kissed her again. "You like the ring?"
"It's gorgeous." she held out her hand so that she could look at the sparkling gems. "It's big too."
"A total of five carrats." Jesse answered as he got up and sat back down in his chair. "The ruby is three carats and there is a total of two carats in those baguette diamonds surrounding it. When they got engaged my grandfather could not afford a real ring so once they got the money he bought it for her. It was the day that my father was born. My grandfather wanted you to have it now."
'I love it." Galena whispered as she let the brilliant gems play in the candle light. "Is he sure that he wants me to have it? I mean your grandmother is still alive, even if she's in the final stages of Alzheimer's."
"They made the decision years ago, and she was the one who had come up with the idea." he gently took her hand and kissed it just above the ring. "Just make sure that you take care of it."
"This ring is older than either of us, of course I'm going to take care of it! What do you think I'm going to do, drop it down the sink?"
"That is what my mother did. Of course, I still agree with my dad and think she did it just so she could get a Harry Winston diamond."
"You're mother is hilarious." Galena laughed as she thought about the possibility of Isabella having purposely lost a ring. "I promise, if this ring ever leaves my finger for any reason at all, it will be put up safely."
"Good. You want to get something for desert?"
"No." she smiled provocatively. "I want to take you out for a drive, if you don't mind. We can get our desert where I'm taking you."
"Fair enough." Jesse smiled at her as he agreed.
The next morning.
Jesse held Galena's hand as he led her down the hall, both of them hoping to not wake anyone up.
"So, let me see it!" Shalimar said as she stepped out of her bedroom.
"There goes sneaking in unnoticed." Galena laughed as she held out her left hand for the other woman to examine.
"My God, I'm almost wishing Bren could have gotten me a ring like this. It is absolutely gorgeous!" she tilted Galena's hand slightly so she could examine the glittery gems from every angle. "Do you know how absolutely lucky you are to get a ring like this?"
"Not as lucky as I am with the guy I got." Galena smiled shyly as she looked over at Jesse.
"She really got a ring last night?" Emma asked as she walked up the hall. "We've got to start planning the wedding!"
"Let's give the wedding sometime." Jesse laughed as he pulled Galena away from the other girls. "Right now, she needs to go talk to her cousin."
"I thought that you had asked Brennan for permission." Galena raised an eyebrow and reached to slip the ring off her finger."
"I did." he quickly reached out and stopped her from taking the ring off. "I just thought that it might be best if you told Brennan that you accepted."
"Like Brennan thinks she would consider saying no." Emma laughed and then gave Shalimar a quick nod.
Both women rushed forward, pulled Galena away from Jesse, and led her down the hall to Emma's room.
"How did he propose?" Shalimar demanded as the all sat down on the bed.
"How did he like your little surprise?" Emma asked, excitedly.
"What is the story about a ruby ring?" Shalimar was tilting Galena's hand again.
"Did you hesitate at all?"
"Slow up! I can't answer all of your questions at once." Galena laughed. "He kind of worked the proposal into our conversation. We were talking and he just launched into it. He got up and walked around the table and then kneeled down in front of me; and the best part was that he actually used the proposal from Runaway Bride. There was no hesitation at all. I've been trying to get him to propose for a long time now."
"Alright, what about the ring!" Shalimar insisted as she admired it. "Why did he give you a ruby ring?"
"It was his grandmother's." Galena smiled softly as she looked at the ring herself. "William gave it to her the day that Noah was born, and she wanted Jesse to give it to the one. I think that it is gorgeous."
"It is." Emma smiled wistfully as she looked at the ring. "So, now you'd better spill about what he thought when you took him to that bed and breakfast."
"He was happy, and really surprised that we had planned it out. I'm pretty sure that Jess knows that you helped me get it set up, but he appreciated it." she blushed deeply, "I appreciated it a lot too."
"How are you going to tell Brennan?" Shalimar asked, finally able to tear her eyes away from the ring.
"I guess I'm just going to tell him." she shrugged. "Brennan knew that Jess was going to pop the question, and he's known that I want to marry Jess. There isn't too much to say about it."
"You still need to deliver the news yourself." Emma said softly. "It would mean a lot to him if you made point to deliver the news to him yourself."
"He's working on some of the systems in the dojo." Shalimar offered. "And Adam is in the lab, of course."
"Alright." Galena sighed softly. "I'll be back in a few minutes." she took a deep breath and made her way to the dojo. She kicked off her shoes and walked across the floor, trying to be quiet so she wouldn't surprise her cousin.
Brennan looked up from the system panel just as Galena reached his side. From the sparkle on the girls left hand and her bright smile he concluded that he decision had been settled. "You have such a good time out that you decided not to come back home till morning?'
"Well, I hadn't been out for weeks." she softly knelt down by her cousin. "Jesse proposed last night, and I said yes. I want to know if he really did ask you though."
"He asked me for permission a couple of weeks ago, the day that you went out shopping with him." he closed the panel he had been working on and got up. He carefully took Galena's hand and helped pull her to her feet before starting down the steps. "You'd better get back to the girls. They are going to want to hear all of the details."
"Right." she pushed her hair back behind her ears. "Thank you for giving him a chance, Bren. He really is a nice guy."
"He loves you, and I think that Shal would have convinced Adam and Emma to kill me if I hadn't given Jess a chance with you." he paused for a second and then pulled the girl to him for a tight hug. "Congratulations, Gal, I'm happy that you are going to get married."
Galena smiled slightly as she left and headed to the lab.