A/N: My granddaughter invented a Secret Valentine game for our family to play which inspired me to write a Valentine's Day story for Robbie and Laura.
One week before Valentine's Day
Robbie was not going to make the same mistake he did in December when he told his friends and colleagues about Laura's plan for a no gifts Christmas. This Valentine's Day their plans would stay just between themselves. Laura booked a couples massage in the afternoon on February 14th and Robbie was refinishing a rocking chair from her childhood home. Other than that, they settled on exchanging cards only. Laura said Robbie was rubbish at choosing flowers and they both were trying to eat only healthy food and did not want chocolate or a heavy restaurant meal to weigh them down. All he had to do was give her the perfect card.
Robbie arrived home from work to find Laura on the sofa smiling over something she was reading. He came up behind her and frowned when he saw a card with a hand drawn red heart in her hand. After planting a kiss on her cheek he asked, "A surprise Valentine from a secret admirer?"
"A very nice surprise, an early Valentine from our Jack, actually it's for both of us." She handed it to him and he read the rhyme written by their grandson.
Roses are red
Cops are blue
Pathologists are smart
And I love you two
Robbie came around the sofa to sit next to Laura, started to speak then hesitated. "It's erm...not too juvenile?"
Laura swatted him on the arm. "Of course not! I love it." She took the card back and clutched it to her heart. He noticed she was wearing a new green dress. Robbie told her she looked stunningly beautiful and was secretly happy how it matched the ring he had chosen for her.
Over the next few days Robbie became increasingly nervous about his Valentine's card for Laura. His New Year's gift of an emerald and diamond ring was graciously received and Laura wore the ring every day since then. He did get down on one knee to propose marriage as he presented the gift and told her not to answer right away; he wanted Laura to be sure and did not want to pressure her. There had been no further talk of the proposal since January 1st.
Valentine's Day
Robbie crept out of bed early to make Laura a cup of her favourite mullberry leaf tea and seeded bread toast with raspberry jam. He was eagerly anticipating that later she would fix a fry up for the pair of them, perhaps after working up an appetite. His fingers were crossed about his choice of card. She was just waking up as he returned to the bedroom."You're keen this morning Robbie." She yawned and investigated the contents of the tray.
Robbie set the tray down and kissed her, then joined her back in bed, both of them now sitting up so Laura could drink her tea and eat her toast.
Robbie brushed a few crumbs off her pillow than pulled a wrinkled envelope out from under his. He handed it to Laura. "Happy Valentine's Days, past and present."
She screwed up her face with a combination of surprise and concern and pulled the card out of the envelope.
The card had a hand drawn red heart with a short poem in Robbie's clear handwriting.
Roses are red
Violets are blue
No friend is better
To me than you
Laura raised her eyebrows, a trait she inherited from Robbie. He reached over to stop her from looking further at the card.
"I made this shortly before I went away on detachment. I thought you would think it was juvenile and did not give it to you. I brought it with me to the British Virgin Islands, took it out and looked at it many times. Knowing I had such a good friend back in Oxford helped me decide to come home."
Laura's face softened. "You did have a good friend waiting for you and I am happy you came home."
Robbie pointed at the smaller heart and poem below. "I added the second heart a few years after I came home."
Laura collected her reading glasses to wear before moving on to the next part.
This time the hand drawn heart was separated into two pieces by jagged edges.
Roses are red
Still mourning my mate
When my heart mends
Do you fancy a date?
Laura took a minute before commenting, "I did fancy a date, for quite some time actually."
"I might have noticed some clues that I ignored for awhile."
She smiled. "It was fun, flirting with you."
Robbie gasped in mock horror. "You were flirting with me? Never!"
She gently punched his shoulder. "You know bloody well I was; there was chemistry between us."
His face grew concerned. "Was? Meaning we don't have it now?"
"To be honest Robbie, we seem to have lost our Zing, it started before you went back to work, you wouldn't have needed to if we still had it."
Robbie wasn't sure he liked where this conversation was going.
"Please, turn the card over for an update."
There was another hand drawn complete heart with two hand-holding figures inside.
Roses are red
Violets are blue
I know what to do
Tell you I love you
Robbie held his breath waiting for Laura's reaction. He searched her face for some emotion. She frowned, shook her head and made that face of hers when she can't solve a puzzle.
"Laura? Are you okay? Is this", he touched her hand holding the Valentine, "okay?"
"It's…not just okay, it's amazing."
Robbie widened his eyes and his brow wrinkled.
Laura turned to her bedside stand and opened a drawer and took out her Valentine for him. It was also handmade many years before, shortly after Val died. The front had an anatomical drawing of a heart broken in two pieces.
Robbie read the message written in Laura's bold script.
Rose are red,
Violets are blue,
I'll do my part
To help heal your heart
Laura now searched his face for an answer. "I never planned on giving this to you, somehow I expected you to know my feelings without ever telling you. I did mean this; wanting to be your friend and helping you heal were the only items on my agenda back then. Every time I moved house this card was one of the first things I packed to take with me.
Next was a small drawing of a map of the world complete with 7 continents. A tiny heart was placed in the approximate location of Oxford and two more lines were added to the poem.
Wherever you roam
I'll be your home
Robbie remained silent and kept staring at the card.
Laura moved his hand further down the card where two human hearts were beating next to each other. "Then after some time passed, I realized I was slowly but surely falling in love with you and I updated it."
Roses are red
Robbie's still blue
I dream of a kiss
You won't want to miss
Robbie put his arms around Laura and pulled her close. Then he attempted to recreate the kiss in the pub. After pulling apart and breathing heavily he asked her in the husky voice that always sent tingles up her spine, "did you feel any Zing?"
Laura exhaled and stroked Robbie's face. "Yes, that is the Zing I was talking about." Her eyes welled up with tears. "When I learned I was going to New Zealand alone I feared our airport goodbye might turn into a forever goodbye."
Robbie's face was grief stricken. "Never" he whispered.
I updated the card and put it in my suitcase for New Zealand not knowing if we would even be together when I got back.
Robbie saw the updated drawing of two human hearts with wings, flying off in separate directions.
Rose are red,
Violets are blue
To stay together
What do we do?
Robbie's face twisted in pain. "You believed we were over because I was worried about my career and foolishly wanted to stay in Oxford while you went on your own?"
She nodded.
Robbie held her and told her how sorry he was and hoped the wonderful time they had together on the trip was the start of him making it up to her. She was surprised to learn he also brought his Valentine for her with him to New Zealand.
"And now Laura, how do you feel?"
She took the itinerant card and turned it over. "I wrote this last night." There were two human hearts intertwined and beating together. "Sorry it's not a full poem."
I waited for you much of my life
Now I am ready to be your wife.
They both smiled as they gazed knowingly at each other.
"Let's call the registrar's office right now Robbie and schedule a date for our wedding."
"They may not be open yet. Can it wait until after we have a few more moments of Zing?" He grinned, "If you're happy about that."
"I'm happy about that."
A/N: I was excited to watch the new episode of Midsomer Murders, "The Miniature Murders", with Clare Holman as a guest star. Have you seen it? She was fabulous as always and looked stunningly beautiful in the green dress she wore at the beginning of the show. She has not lost her Zing. I usually have Laura wearing blue and need to update my version of her fanfiction wardrobe.
Happy Trails! -H