The second time Caleb proposed, he intended to take Cornelia by surprise again. This time, he was much more prepared and well-informed, thanks to the other Guardians and Matt. He knew all about the grand gestures and romantic set-ups that made proposals on Earth "swoon-worthy," as Cornelia would say.
He just hoped she wouldn't mind that they weren't actually on Earth for this proposal. Their relationship had been unusual enough that he figured she would be okay with the unique setting.
Caleb also knew that while Cornelia would want a private moment with him, she also loved being the center of attention and couldn't pass up a party.
Over the years, it had become a tradition for the Guardians to spend Summer Solstice on Meridian. It was tricky to get all five of them plus Elyon in one place, especially now that both Will and Cornelia were out of college.
Elyon was hosting a more intimate gathering tonight in the palace gardens, under the guise of wanting to spend time with her closest friends. The big Solstice celebration with the entire kingdom would occur the next day on the Solstice itself.
If Cornelia found it suspicious that she had been told to get ready for the party by herself instead of with the others, she didn't say anything. Her fast-paced marketing job left her exhausted and grateful for any time to breathe.
She opted for simple makeup and minimal jewelry, since the dress that Hay Lin had created for her was adorned with hundreds of tiny flowers embroidered with silver thread. The Air Guardian had always been talented, but her hard work at design school was really paying off.
Adding a few white and silver Meridian flowers to her hair that Elyon had given her from her garden, Cornelia slipped on silver sandals and headed outside.
She was surprised to see the gardens were empty when she arrived. Frowning, she glanced around, wondering if she had misheard Irma's instructions.
"She said sunset, and I'm here at sunset," Cornelia muttered, venturing further into the gardens. As she walked, floating orbs of light flickered to life above her head, illuminating her path.
"Nice work, Taranee," she said, making a mental note to compliment the Fire Guardian, whenever she found her. Or anyone.
She didn't remember the path into the gardens being this long, but knew that Elyon frequently changed them with her powers.
The path ended suddenly, and the lights following Cornelia rushed forward, illuminating the scene in front of her.
Part of her registered the ethereal glowing flowers and the pink-tinged setting sun, but her focus quickly settled on the man in front of her.
Caleb.
He was dressed in the uniform he wore as Captain of the Queen's Guard, usually unruly hair neatly combed. Cornelia smiled at how handsome he looked, even though she had seen him like this countless times. She loved that even after all these years he could still affect her like this.
Smiling, Cornelia realized she had frozen in place and finished walking up to Caleb, who took both of her hands in his.
"Hi," she said softly. She suddenly felt shy, a rarity for her.
"Hi yourself," Caleb answered, smiling. "You look beautiful," he said, reaching one hand to brush her hair away from her face. "You probably have some idea what's going on here," he smirked, releasing her other hand and stepping back.
"Maybe," she said with a breathless laugh. Expecting it or not, Cornelia felt her stomach flip as she watched Caleb bend down to one knee. She knew this wasn't a Meridian custom and smiled at the Meridian guard proposing like an Earthling.
"I had a whole speech prepared and everything, but now I can't remember it," Caleb said sheepishly, reaching into his pocket and procuring a small, glowing orb. "I know our relationship hasn't exactly been typical, by either planet's standards. You've shown me that with a strong foundation, we can handle whatever is thrown at us, including balancing life on two different worlds."
He took a deep breath and released the orb, letting it float towards Cornelia, who gasped and held out her palm. The object shimmered when it touched her skin, fading to reveal a gold ring with two distinct stones.
"I wanted it to represent both traditions, so it has an Earth diamond along with Meridianite emerald," he explained.
Cornelia bit her lip to keep herself from answering the question he hadn't asked yet.
Suddenly there was a loud crash, and the tranquil garden path vanished, revealing a courtyard filled with their friends. The couple gawked at the scene in front of them, stunned.
Will, Matt, and Hay Lin were covered in what looked like frosting. Irma and Taranee were standing in the middle of a large fountain, helping a soaking Elyon to her feet. Grandma Lin plucked Blunk and what had once been a rather large cake from the water.
No one noticed that the guests of honor had arrived, until Matt turned around.
"Uh, hey guys!" Matt said, trying to sound casual. Alerted to their presence, everyone now turned to focus on the couple, who once again only had eyes for each other.
Standing up, Caleb reached for her palm and took the ring, holding it up to her. "I guess I'm not getting to the rest of my speech," he said, laughing. "I'll skip to the important part. I love you, Cornelia Hale. Will you be my bride?"
"Yes!" Cornelia practically shouted, her hand shaking with excitement as he slipped the ring onto her finger. Remembering their audience, Cornelia glanced at her friends, still in various states of disarray.
"Well?" Irma asked loudly, earning an elbow nudge from Taranee.
"She said yes!" Caleb said excitedly, holding up Cornelia's left hand.
The group erupted with cheers, everyone rushing forward to congratulate them.
"Do I even want to know?" Cornelia asked as Taranee hugged her.
"Nope!" The fire guardian said quickly. "Don't even worry about it."
Elyon quickly used her magic to fix her gown and hair back to queenly perfection and cleared her throat.
"If there aren't any more interruptions, I would like to formally announce the engagement of Caleb, Captain of the Royal Guard of Meridian and Cornelia Hale, Earth Guardian and my best friend." Despite her regal demeanor, Elyon couldn't help giving a little squeal at the end of her statement. "So without further ado, let's party!"
Cornelia and Caleb laughed as they were pulled into the circle of their friends and handed glasses of bubbling Meridian wine.
Later, when most of the guests had left, Cornelia tried to get the story out of her fellow guardians, with little success.
"What's a special occasion without a little chaos?" Irma said, winking. "Now, show us your ring again!"
Author's Note: I just love writing CxC! They make me so happy. I was going to include this in the previous chapter but it was already pretty long so bonus proposal epilogue it is!
As always, thank you for reading and reviewing! I love that this fandom is still active all these years later. For more CxC check out my one shot stories, "Warmth" and "A Stolen Moment," and stay tuned for future W.I.T.C.H. stories.