One-shot summary: It's been a bad day.

Then leave!

Those were the stupidest words to ever come out of his mouth. Him and Juliet had been fighting, and he had gotten so angry with her and things had escalated and in the span of half a second he had lost the best thing in his life.

He leaned against the wall of his room, a ring clutched in his right hand. Today would have been the day, the one he was going to take to ask her to marry him, and for two months they had been broken up he had been dreading this day coming. Ever since the day Juliet had ran off in tears, telling him that in no uncertain terms that they were completely done – no more dates, no more nights spent dreaming of the future, no more secret kisses when no one was looking.

But there was love, because try as he might he couldn't stop loving her.

He looked down at the ring, wistfulness rising in his chest. It was a simple ring, just a gold band with a gem the size of a tooth. It had been his mother's – on her deathbed she had quickly put it into his hand and made him promise that he would only give it to the right girl. He had been twelve and beyond confused because I'm not ever getting married, I have too much alchemy to do but now he understood that she had just wanted to be with him when that day came he grew up.

He still loved her, and he still wanted to spend every day of his life with her, but he had driven her way and told her to just leave him alone. He had almost worked up the nerve to go back and say he was sorry, but every time he did his whole resolve just fell apart. He would see her from across the market or down the street, they would lock eyes, and he would see that hurt flash in her eyes and realize he caused it and then he couldn't look anymore.

He had hurt her, and call him a coward, he was scared he would do it again.

There was a loud crash and he was pulled out of his daze. He looked across his room, where he saw Rudiger falling through the window. At first, Varian didn't find this all that surprising. Despite the breakup, Rudiger still made frequent visits to Juliet and would come back through Varian's window. Varian couldn't blame Rudiger for his continuance in Juliet's life – once upon a time they had fancied themselves Rudiger's parents, and they hadn't been empty with that sentiment. Juliet had taken care of Rudiger like a mother and Rudiger deserved to see her.

But then Rudiger made for Varian's pant leg, quickly biting onto the fabric, his teeth coming within inches of the skin underneath. Varian raised to alert at this, reaching down to Rudiger but he simply pulled away before Varian could catch him.

"Rudiger!"

Rudiger pulled at his leg to pull him out of the chair and Varian frowned deeply.

"Rudiger! What's gotten into you?" he said. He reached for Rudiger again, but the raccoon once again avoided his hands carefully. Varian frowned and stood up, ring still clutched tightly in his right hand.

"Rudiger!" he yelled, trying to get the frantic animals attention. Rudiger ignored him, running over to the door and clutching Varian's bag into his teeth. Rudiger gave him a meaningful look and then scampered out of the room via the window. Varian's eyes widened, and he looked outside to see Rudiger sitting at the foot of the house back up at him with an urgent look.

"Rudiger!" he admonished. Varian – upon seeing that Rudiger was not about to come back with his stuff – left the room in a hurry, in such a state of confusion that the ring was still clutched in his hand as he left.

What had gotten into Rudiger? He hadn't done this in years – not since his time as the "bad guy" were Rudiger had tried to distract him from his plan with these tactics. And while he had been a little mopeyer about the whole breakup he wasn't tittering anywhere near the evil line.

"Varian?" Dad asked in the main room as Varian rushed past, eyebrow raised.

"Rudiger – long story!" Varian called, thrusting the door open. "I'll explain later!"

Varian turned the corner of his home to see Rudiger still setting under his window. Varian rushed forward, only for Rudiger to scamper off the second the two made eye contact. Varian gave a slight grr and followed his raccoon, annoyance growing by the second.

They began twisting through the outer homes of Old Corona, the bag in Rudiger's teeth bumping against the dirt. Thank God he didn't have anything important in there or else he was going to kill Rudiger. The familiar homes of his small town soon enough began disappearing and more puzzlement filling him.

Where was Rudiger taking him?

The trees of the nearby forest came into view and Varian got a sinking feeling in his stomach. Something was wrong.

The trees were now thick enough they couldn't be seen from the tree line when Rudiger stopped suddenly. Varian, having not been expecting the sudden stop, nearly tripped over the animal. Varian frowned at him and crossed his arms.

"Rudiger! What…"

His words stopped all together when he saw the form just in front of them, a small clearing of flowers home to the unconscious form of Juliet. Her hair was buried under her head, arms lax against the forest floor, foot hooked in a tree root. His heart flew out of his chest.

Something was wrong. Something was indeed really wrong.

He rushed forward, ring dropping from his hand in surprise. He rushed past Rudiger, who dropped the bag once he knew Varian had seen, and fell to his knees beside Juliet, reaching down to find a pulse because don't let her be dead, don't let her be dead.

"Come on, Jules," he whispered to her form, hand resting over where her pulse should be on her neck. "Do me a favor, don't be dead."

Tangible relief flooded him when he felt the fast and continuing beat of her pulse. Yes, something was wrong with her, but it seemed her heart was beating fine. He reached down to grip her cheek – she wasn't running a fever.

What happened? She wouldn't just pass out like this.

He shook his head and reached around her head, feeling around her hair. She didn't seem to be bleeding from the back of her head, which was another good sign. He sighed and looked over to Rudiger, who was just looking at him with helplessness and confusion.

He wasn't going to be able to help her here. He wasn't a doctor, and even if he was he couldn't help her because nothing was here except animals and trees, and while Juliet could talk with the animals he couldn't, so they were unlikely to be of much help to him.

He sighed again and reached down to unhook her foot from the tree root. Once it was free, he quickly scooped her up in his arms and turned to leave the clearing. Rudiger caught up to him and Varian quickly took off, rushing out of the forest.

Get her home, and then he could get the doctor to her. It wasn't much a plan, but it was the one he had.

It was dark. Everything felt so heavy and Juliet could hardly think at all.

The darkness began to fade, bright splotches of color hinting at the edges of her field of vision. Her head had been against something hard, but now it was something soft and warn and yet so familiar. She peeked open her eyes, head shifting against the soft and warm and familiar place.

Her eyes could only open so far, and she caught sight of blue fabric and dark hair. But her mind – despite all the confusion and darkness and pain – still knew what it was.

"'Rian…" she whispered, voice more slurred than she would have liked. She became they were aware they were moving but her legs weren't moving, but how were they doing that?

"You're almost home Jules," Varian said. She smiled at the sound of the sound of his voice. It had seemed so long since she last heard it, but she couldn't remember why. "Just hang on."

"I like it when you call me that," Juliet said softly, voice hoarse. She laughed into his shoulder. "Jules." She chuckled again. "Jules!" Her laugh was weak, but it was slightly unhinged anyway. "Jules!"

"Oh God, you're delirious," Varian said. They stopped moving and she wondered again how she was doing that because her legs weren't moving so how did she stop herself?

"But you love me, anyway," she said. He didn't respond to her, but she heard banging on something. Hard banging and she was shifted a little as it continued.

The banging stopped, and she heard creaking. Her vision was becoming clearer, it was brighter now. She and Varian must be outside. She curled her head around so that it was buried in his neck. It was too bright, too much light. Too much, too much. It was better here in the collar of his shirt. Much less here.

"Juliet!"

It was Xavier. Why was Xavier here with her and Varian? He never went off with them! But she also couldn't remember going anywhere to begin with.

"I found her in the forest, passed out," Varian said. She furrowed her brow. A dim memory of the forest came back, Rudiger's smile, and then a hard feeling against her head. She went deeper into the collar, where it wasn't hard or painful. "I'll go get the doctor."

And then the collar was gone, replaced by light as her eyes peeked open to see where it was going. She was somewhere else now, but how has she moved? Why was she moving so much?

She wanted the collar back, she wanted Varian back because she looked up and saw Xavier looking down at her in worry. Why was he worried? She looked over to see Varian rushing away but then the door was closed, and she was home but how did she get here?

"Where's Varian?" she whispered. Xavier made some sound and then they were moving again. She tried again, louder. "Where's Varian?"

"Going to get the doctor," Xavier said. There was creaking, and Juliet thought that it must be the stairs because nothing else made that noise.

"Why? Is he sick?" Juliet asked. Xavier was quiet for a moment and Juliet's eyes were shut again but another creak was heard, and she was certain that it muse have been another door. Then she was somewhere soft but not warm and nothing like the collar which was what she still wanted.

"Don't go to sleep, Juliet," Xavier's said, but his voice was different now. Juliet tried to open her eyes to look at him, but her eyes were heavy too and she felt tired and she wanted sleep, but she also wanted the collar and she also wanted Varian because he would know why she was like this. He always knew lots of stuff. He was smart like that.

"Varian," she said simply.

"What?" A hand was on her shoulder and she managed to lift her eyes and saw Xavier looking down at her again, concern in his eyes. "Did he do this to you?"

"Varian," she said louder and harsher. "I need Varian. Where is he?"

Xavier was silent again.

"He's coming."

Juliet smiled.

Xavier hadn't ever wanted to see Varian ever again. That damn boy had went and broke his daughter's heart, left her a crying mess. He had been making plans to move them from Old Corona and back up to the capitol city, because he knew seeing Varian in a small town like this was slowly chipping away at her.

But this afternoon he had shown up with an unconscious Juliet in his arms, and Xavier was grateful to Varian for finding her and bringing her back. Xavier had yet to piece together what happened to her, because all Juliet was doing was asking for Varian and she wouldn't stop until he was here.

He hated that boy the second she had said those words, I need Varian, because this girl had went given him everything she was and then he had abandoned her and now she was still asking for him when she was in pain. She loved him and then he had ruined it and yet she still needed him.

Xavier shifted in the chair next to her bed, her eyes shut as he tried to keep her awake by making her talk. He couldn't let her sleep, not yet, because these had all the markings of a head injury and he couldn't let her sleep. Sleep was fatal, and he couldn't lose her.

"Juliet, please don't fall asleep," he said, holding her left hand tightly. "They're coming soon."

"Whose coming?" Juliet asked weakly. Her voice was getting stronger, but the usual chipper tone was gone. He frowned. They had gone over this many time and yet she couldn't remember.

"The doctor," he said.

"What about Varian?" Juliet said. Xavier stopped. He assumed Varian was coming back with the doctor, because that was what the Varian he knew before would have done. But every thought he had about Varian had been cast in doubt now, he had no way of knowing if this boy would come back for her.

"He's coming," Xavier said, hoping it wasn't a lie. Juliet's smile was small but noticeable.

"I need to see him," Juliet said.

"Why?"

"Because!" Juliet said, eyes blinking more and more. "He always makes me feel better!"

He made you cry. He broke your heart. Left you crying and made you want to leave your town, was what Xavier wanted to say.

"I know he does," was what Xavier actually said, faking a smile. Damn it, if that boy was going to make Juliet feel better he needed to be here now. "But can you tell me what happened?"

Juliet's brow furrowed, and her face became restless (well, more than it already was).

"I-I was walking with-with Rud-Rudiger," Juliet said, yawns breaking through her sentence. "And then-then everything was dark after I fell, and it was hard when it hit my head."

It seemed they were finally making progress – she must have hit her head on something. Perhaps she had a concussion? That would explain the pain and confusion.

"Where's Rudiger?" Juliet asked. She had been asking about him too.

"With Varian."

"Then where's Varian?"

He sighed. "Coming."

The door to the room opened, and in came Doctor McCoy – bag in hand – with the bushy tailed form of Rudiger rushing forward to rest at Juliet's side, concern in his dark eyes.

"Doctor McCoy!" Xavier said, rising to meet him. McCoy gave a courteous nod to Xavier and looked over to where Juliet was resting.

"She came in, just like this?" McCoy said. Xavier nodded.

"I've been trying to keep her awake," Xavier said. "I think she might have hit her head in the forest."

McCoy nodded once and walked over to where Juliet was resting, reaching to take her pulse. Xavier caught sight of the one lingering in the door of the room with a frown but a surge of relief. Varian had come back – although with an unsure look – and that just made him feel so glad because Juliet was in pain and wanted him and unsure because this boy was just going to hurt her more when this was all over.

"Mr. Wry," McCoy said, not looking up, "while I appreciate you bringing this to my attention, it is rather small in here and am going to have to ask you to leave. I'm going to need all the space available so that way she won't be stifled."

Varian accepted this easily, moving to take a step back, when Xavier spoke because Juliet needed him.

"He has to stay," Xavier said sternly.

McCoy raised an eyebrow, letting go of her wrist. "Unless he's her family, he has to go. And this is a small town, Xavier, we all know what they were and know that they aren't family."

"But they will be!" Xavier said, and Varian's eyes widened. Xavier grit his teeth, hoping the social fall-out of what he was about to say could be fixed by Juliet. "He's her fiancé."

Xavier fixed him a stern look that he hoped wasn't seen by McCoy. His meaning was clear by the look – that this wasn't about letting Varian seeing her. That Juliet wanted to see him, and Xavier wasn't about to keep her away from the one thing she was desperately hoping to cling to.

Varian seemed to understand, because the anxious bite to his lip was replaced by a calm expression. One that said he knew that this had nothing to do with his own worry, that Xavier didn't care what he was feeling, that Juliet was the only reason he wasn't being kicked out right now.

"Is that so?" McCoy asked, reaching behind her head to check for injuries. "I was under the impression the two of you had decided to separate."

Word moved fast in a town this small. With one look from Xavier, he answered.

"Ye-yes," Varian answered, sounding a bit afraid. "It's -it's a fairly recent development."

"Varian?"

Xavier saw all that anxiety reflood the boy at the sound of Juliet's voice, and Varian took one step forward but then looked at Xavier. At first Xavier simply stared back at him, wondering why the boy was hesitating. But the he saw the subtle, questioning raise to one of his brows.

Is it okay? Can I go to her?

"'Rian?"

Xavier's answer (though it was yes, for the record) became irrelevant, as Varian rushed past him and towards her side. Kneeling on the wooden floor, Varian took her hand with a gentle but concerned look.

"Varian?" Juliet said for the third time, wincing as she peeked open her eyes to look. Varian gave her a comforting smile and rubbed his thumb along the ridge of her knuckles.

"Hey Juliet," Varian said, tone gentle.

"You-you came?"

"Of course, I did," Varian said. His smile was genuine and eyes shimmery with what Xavier realized were tears. Xavier watched for a moment, Doctor McCoy asking Juliet questions and checking various appendages to make sure they were in working order, Juliet answering in a hoarse voice and eyes trying to remain opened, Varian's eyes never once wavering from her face as her hand remained locked in his.

"What do you remember?" Doctor McCoy asked her. Juliet's restless face screwed up as he tried to come up with something, anything to remember.

"I was walking – me and Rudiger –" the raccoon burrowed into her side protectively, looking up at the Doctor fiercely, "—were trying to pick – what-what was it?" Rudiger made a whirring noise. "Apples! And then—then the ground was so close and—and it was getting closer and closer and then something hurt as it hit my head and then it was dark! Really dark. And then it was warm, and I knew that Varian had found me!"

Varian didn't say anything, didn't respond to the very obvious stare Xavier was giving him. Juliet smiled in his direction, or at least, was the weakest impression of one she had at her current disposal. Doctor McCoy gave some noncommittal sound and pulled a stethoscope out of his bag, preparing to listen to her heart.

"You found me!" Juliet repeated to him. Varian smiled back at her, kissing her knuckles softly.

"I know," Varian said. "I'll always find you." Xavier came closer to the exchange, aware of Doctor McCoy as he put away the stethoscope with a nod. Varian's expression was a familiar one that Xavier had seen across the young man's face many times, the one he almost always had when Juliet was in his view. Kind and caring, but also fierce and protective.

Xavier realized with a start that Varian was still in love with Juliet.

This made him hate that boy even more because if he loved her why did he leave her and also endeared him because he still loved her. The former was winning because how many hours had Xavier spent consoling his daughter as she wept over the boy she had wanted to be with forever? Why had Varian left her if he still loved her the same as he always had?

"Now, Juliet," Doctor McCoy said, moving to lean over her. Rudiger at first gave a hiss at the motion – most likely thinking him some kind of threat – before sinking back into her side once he saw the brunet meant her no harm. "I'm going to need you to open your eyes for me."

Juliet – whose eyes had been tittering between open and closed – blinked several times as she tried to do what he asked, opening them completely for a few moments before shutting them tightly.

"Stings – too heavy," Juliet said resolutely.

"Just try, Juliet," Xavier said, holding onto the edge of her bottom bedpost. She shook her head and scrunched them tighter together.

Varian stretched over and moved to brush away some of her curls on her cheek.

"Juliet, it'll only be a few moments," he said softly. "We need to know what's wrong."

"No," Juliet said.

"Jules," Varian said, "it's going to be over real fast, okay? Just for a few moments and then you can shut them again, alright?"

Juliet didn't do anything for a few moments, but then her brown eyes slowly opened. Xavier could tell that she was struggling to keep them that way, and Doctor McCoy looked into her eyes for a moment giving a quiet "hmmm…."

"How many fingers am I holding up?" Doctor McCoy asked, raising two fingers up for her to see.

Her brow furrowed. "…Two."

He nodded and pulled back from her, reached to put his things away. Juliet shut her eyes again and turned away so that her head was partially buried in her pillow. Varian gave her a kind half-smile and kissed her knuckles again.

"You did great, Juliet," Varian said.

"I'm tired, 'Rian," Juliet said.

"I know you are," Varian said, voice soft and sweet. Xavier looked to Doctor McCoy, raising a brow. McCoy nodded in Juliet's direction. Varian caught this too, and he brushed her hair out so that it wasn't against her neck. "It's okay, Juliet, you can go to sleep now."

"Don't go," Juliet said to him. He nodded and squeezed her hand.

"I won't," Varian said. "I'll be here when you wake up. I promise."

The strongest smile Juliet had made today crossed her face, and one of her hands curled around to clutch Rudiger, who responded by curling deep into her side, head propped up to see her. Her eyes closed for good, and within seconds she was sleeping with even breath but a restless expression.

"It's just a mild concussion," McCoy said, picking up his bag. "She should be fine – and don't worry, her sleeping won't have any effect on her recovery, and if it does, it will be positive."

Xavier nodded and made his way towards the door.

"I'll get you some payment," Xavier said, remembering that McCoy was always sure about his money. McCoy nodded and hurried out of the room.

"Thank you," McCoy said. He looked over at where Varian was still with Juliet. "And Mr. Wry?"

"Hmm?" Varian asked, looking up at last.

"I never did give you my congratulations on your engagement," McCoy said. Something close to fondness crossed the man's face. "You and Miss Juliet do make a splendid couple. Please pass them on to her when she wakes up."

Xavier – who felt his heart sink – let out a sigh of relief when Varian gave no visible reaction, only merely nodded in return.

"Thank you."

All Juliet had wanted was for him to take a break. He had been at this for so long and he hadn't been talking to any of them – her, Rudiger, Quirin, even his letters to their friends in the palace hadn't been coming as quickly.

It had been three months since he had responded to the lantern in her window, and she finally had enough. She didn't put those up simply to make herself happy – no, she put them up because humans were weird, and she wouldn't understand them and that was a sign to him that she needed to speak with him when they weren't around.

She also did it because sometimes he needed her – somethings could push him off and on days that he came up with those things in his world, she put that lantern up so that she could hold him close and tell him that those things didn't matter. But for three months that had been ignored, so now her nights were alone, and her days were that way too because he never talked to her anymore.

So, one day she went to his lab, said the hell with it, and let him have it. Things had gotten ugly fast, screaming and yelling. They had thought before but never to this degree.

She had yelled about that she thought she was losing him and that he wasn't acting the same and that she just wanted him back.

He had shouted back that she wasn't the same anymore either and that she had no right to tell him what to do and that if she wasn't ready for change then she might as well leave.

And so, she had, tears in her eyes and a heart shattering, leaving broken pieces on the street between their homes. Rudiger, at first, had tried to play peacemaker, tried to convince them her this was like every fight they had ever had and that they would get over it. But Juliet wasn't ready to go back, not yet.

Juliet was always one to make her bed early, and now she had to lie in it. She had run out when she hadn't wanted too, hurt both of them, and now she had to deal with it.

But then the forest had happened. Varian found her and stayed with her through her the entire time, smiling softly and holding her hand tightly. She drifted in and out of restless sleep with him always beside her, until she had finally woken up without him there.

All this was confusing her because she was so in love with him and she needed him here beside her, but she had also ruined it and he didn't deserve that, so she weighed talking with him, maybe patching things up. But then a well-wisher had come by with flowers and the news that her and Varian were engaged.

(Xavier had quickly explained that this was a means to an end – she had wanted Varian, and it was the fastest way to get him in the room.)

So, she took a leap of faith. She lit the lantern, put it in her window, and hoped that her ex-boyfriend was still looking for it. It was a practical thing too – some of the animals had returned the items she had left in the forest when she fell, and two things of Varian's (most likely from when he found her) had gotten grouped in.

It was also little less than practical reasons when her eyes had landed on the ring, which she had many questions about.

Juliet waited on her bed for hours, the gentle glow of her lantern the only light in the room except the moonlight cutting in. Not even Rudiger was with her – some nights Rudiger chose to sleep at her home, but it seemed that this night he had chosen Varian's home after seeing that lantern be lit. She didn't know if that was a good or bad sign.

As the time droned on, Juliet picked at a loose thread in her quilt. She just wanted to talk with him without anyone else seeing, and she hoped that he took the invitation of the lantern.

The hours of silence were eventually broken, as she heard a harsh grunt and the movement of wood. There was a hard sound of leather on wood as something steadied. She smiled.

Varian had come.

"I hear we are engaged now," Juliet said, not looking up. He softly chuckled and walked over to her, hesitating at the edge of her bed. At first, Juliet turned to him with a furrowed brow. Why was he standing? He always sat on her bed when he came over, he used to come over almost every night so the past few months without seeing him on it had been actually a bit of shock.

It occurred to her that he perhaps thought the open invite to sit on her bed no longer applied now that she had demoted him to her ex. She smiled at him and took his hand, which he squeezed with a raised brow.

"Sit," she said. "I don't mind."

He reluctantly did as she instructed, the mattress dipping down as he slipped over to face her. His eyes were unsure, but Juliet only smiled.

"About this engagement," Juliet said, and his eyes turned playful again, "when you were planning on telling me?"

"I'm sorry about that," Varian said, rubbing his neck nervously. "You-you wanted to see me, and Xavier was-was just trying to give what-what you wanted."

What I needed, Juliet silently amended in her head.

"I know," Juliet said. "I just wanted to see you squirm." Varian scoffed and placed a hand on her cheek, and Juliet's skin felt on fire from the touch. It had been so long since he had done something like that and she had missed it so much, she leaned into but just as suddenly as it was there it was flinched back. His hand returned to his side with apology written across his face.

"I'm sorry," he said. "Force of habit."

Juliet frowned. "Why-why'd you pull away?"

"We're not dating anymore," Varian said simply, shrugging. "I-I shouldn't have reacted the same way as when we were." Juliet frowned. Humans were so weird – physical touch had so much more of an emotional charge than the ones animals had. Nearly five years and her own species was a mystery to her.

Juliet eventually just shook her head and reached under her pillow, letting the issue drop. She would catalog it for her lexicon of human interaction.

"I, uh, wanted to give you this back," Juliet said. She pulled out the bag, so he could see, but quickly held the ring behind her back before he could see. That was going to have an entirely different line of questioning. Varian raised a brow as he took the bag in his hands.

"Some of the animals thought it was mine," Juliet answered at his silent question. "They brought it back after you left." Varian nodded and slipped the bag onto the floor. She smiled slyly. "The forest animals have also passed on their own congratulations, by the way."

The animals around here didn't understand the concepts of marriage and engagements all that well – Juliet herself had just come to understand those concepts when she had asked Rapunzel about her strange new ring three years ago – but they had enough to know it was a big deal to humans. Some of them had heard that she was from the rumors around town (turns out it was a fairly popular theory that Juliet was pregnant and that's why her and Varian had suddenly gotten back together, not helped by Doctor McCoy being spotted coming out of her house – she would have to squash that rumor soon), had given her their well-wishes (on the engagement and pregnancy – thank God she had told them she wasn't before every animal in the kingdom thought she was going to have a kid) when they had returned her basket and Varian's items.

Varian laughed. "That was nice of them."

"They also thought I was pregnant though."

"What?" Varian asked. "But we never –"

Juliet chuckled. "Yeah, well, they don't know that, so I just told them that I wasn't." She smiled teasingly. "But if you remember, we did come pretty damn close." He blushed scarlet and Juliet laughed again. "Good to know I can still make you blush."

Varian just rolled his eyes, but Juliet caught the way his posture was stiffer than it had been since she first met him. Even in the early days were all they knew was that they had a common enemy, he had never stood straight or been so stiff with her – he had, however, been hesitant to touch her for a while there. Maybe he had wanted to, but didn't think it was right?

Did he still want to hold her like he used to?

"There was one more thing," Juliet said, shifting her weight. Varian cocked his head to the side in confusion. She pulled the ring out from her back with a gulp. "They found this too."

His eyes widened, and he quickly took it into his own hands. "I had worried I lost it!"

His smile dropped at her confused look.

"I, uh, had been looking at it when Rudiger brought me to you, I had-I had dropped it in the forest," he explained. "It was my mom's." Juliet bit her lip. Varian didn't often bring up his mother – he had been twelve when she died, very young all things considered, and didn't like talking about the memory of her passing. She was always unsure how to react when he did.

"It's a nice ring," Juliet said. She was dancing around that it was an engagement ring, because even though she hadn't seen many she wasn't dumb. But it was his mother's, so it was possible that he was just looking to remember her by. Not everything was about her after all, and she shouldn't have assumed that ring had anything to do with her at all.

He smiled like he knew a joke that she didn't. "I'm glad you think so." He stared at the ring for a quiet moment, frowning, and Juliet felt as though the minute was lasting a long time. She looked away from him, eyes landing on a random spot in her room that was anywhere but his face.

The moment was imperfect, a moment that brought to her just how clear that bridge between them was actually very large. He obviously wanted to say something, but the disconnect of what they were and what they are now was keeping the words in his throat. Before they would have escaped his mouth before he thought about it, and now he was re-thinking everything.

(Never mind that she was doing the same thing.)

She cleared her throat. "I'm sorry to call you all the way out here for a bag and –"

"I was going to give it to you."

"What?" Juliet asked. Varian still wasn't looking at her, but his face was now holding a soft smile as watched the still ring.

"Mom gave this to me a few days before she died. She told me to give to the girl that I wanted to be with the rest of my life – a way for her to know my wife, I guess." He laughed to himself. "I had wanted to spend my life with you." Another hesitant pause. "I still do, if I'm being honest."

He finally looked up at her, and she just stared back at him with an agape mouth. Had-had he been wanting to propose to her? Had he just admitted that he still wanted to? Why was he doing this? After everything they had said and the months they were apart, he still wanted her?

That also brought up a question to her: if he had asked, what would she have said? Her heart immedailty said yes and then her mind said yes, and she then knew that she so wanted to be his wife. To spend years and years building a life with the boy sitting in front of her.

Why had she spent weeks being stubborn and self-righteous and refused to go back and say she was sorry and all he had wanted was to marry her. But then why hadn't he come back for her? Told her what he had been up to?

Because they were stubborn and terrible but also prefect for each other.

"And Juliet – I know were still broken up, so I have two questions for you," Varian said, looking both brave and terrified. "The first is will you be my girlfriend again? And then if your answer to that is yes, will you be my wife, if you'll excuse my forwardness."

No thinking required. "Yes."

"To which?"

She quickly leaned forward, kissing him for the first time in months. His lips were soft and warm and her home. He reacted on what could only be considered instinct, his lips moving in time with hers. Her hands remembered where they loved to be when her lips were on his, slipping into the threads of his hair as his own went to the place she knew they would – one behind her head and in the curls of her hair, the other resting at the small of her back.

She leaned back onto the mattress, lips still connected and hands in his hair. His reaction to this, too, was the very same one he used to give when they found themselves like this, following her down and moving the hand at the small of her back to her waist. She had missed his hand being there.

The air in her lungs eventually ran out and she broke out of the kiss with regret in her stomach. Varian stared down at her with wide, surprised eyes, and she smiled up at him.

"Both."

He smiled down at her, reaching down to kiss her again. This kiss was shorter, but still put that longing to be this close forever in her chest. He broke it, eyes wide with not confusion but remembrance.

"The ring!" he said. He removed the hand from behind her head, which had been uncharacteristically curled, and produced the ring from his palm. He leaned up just a little and removed her left hand from his head, smiling the whole time.

He slipped it onto her left pointer finger and she felt a warm feeling in her core. This was right. She could feel it.

He reached back down quickly, lips connecting with hers, kissing her strongly as they continued on with everything 'pretty damn close' used to entail.

THIS WAS A MONSTER TO WRITE AND HERE WE ARE.

Also, Xavier totally heard all of this but was just like "not worth it" and just lets Juliet think he doesn't know that Varian sneaks over all the time. But, like, they're twenty-one and in a committed relationship (or were), so he's not all that surprised.

I've never written a make-out scene because I've never made-out with someone. (#ForeverAlone) How was Varian and Juliet's?

And this whole chapter basically would never run in real life, I would be questioning the couple with a "you sure about getting married?" but it's fiction so you know, it's got to be dramatic. I'll write the fight they had one day, but I really thought about it and said, "these two can't have a normal engagement", and that went through many different revisions: Juliet finding the ring early, Rudiger spoiling it on accident, even one where Quirin and Xavier accidently mess it up and argued over if they were ready when the Alchemy Animals walk in the room and Juliet being like "YOU'RE PROPOSING?!" and then shit hitting the fan very fast, but I said "nah, let's get some ANGST up in here".

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