Rachel was thirteen.
For a time, things were essentially perfect. Rose had forgotten just how much she missed having someone around that she could be close to, and intimate with. It was also becoming clear that finding someone to help raise Rachel was a good plan, because the girl was only getting older and smarter and more adventurous.
But perfection was almost always short-lived for one reason or another. Seemingly out of nowhere, Sera suddenly started taking extra shifts at her job, working late, working extra days. It made no sense – they weren't hurting for money, and they were still early enough in their relationship that Rose kind of hated the idea of being away from the woman for too long.
Rose refused to be too clingy, and so for a time she simply let it be. But that had been almost a month ago and now the true anxiety had begun to set in. It was a fear she hadn't experienced almost since Sera first moved in. That horrible little gremlin in the back of her mind, the one that whispered 'maybe she's getting high'. And no matter how unlikely that seemed to the sensible side of her brain, she couldn't help the way it made her chest go tight. Wasn't that the entire thing with addiction? It was a constant fight.
If that was the case, then she knew what she had to do. Rose was never much for being confrontational, but for the sake of this strange beautiful life she'd built, she would do her best. That night, it was only her and Rachel for dinner, after which she sent the girl up to her room to do her homework. She did her best to wait out the clock – cleaning, reading, pacing. Being left alone with her thoughts only made that damn gremlin return, saying more and more horrible things to her.
As soon as she heard the sound of the doorknob, she walked toward the front door, crossing her arms and taking a deep breath. Once Sera came through the door, a look of mild surprise on her face, she did her best to find her center and simply get right to the point. "We need to talk..."
Her face immediately went from surprise to distress. "Woah. That was an escalation. Uh, y-yeah, just um..." This was a bit new for Rose, so she just stood aside while Sera got out of her jacket and put down her things. Without another word, the two of them walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. Even though she knew it was kind of a cruel thing to do, she left some space between them. "So. What do we need to talk about?"
God, already Rose could feel her resolve flagging somewhat. This was the beautiful woman she had been going to bed with every night for quite some time now. She loved her, and the truth was that she didn't feel angry. She felt scared and worried. "I want to know what's going on. No more hiding or skirting the issue. You say you're working all these extra hours, but I don't understand it! We're caught up on all our payments. Rachel didn't ask for anything crazy for Christmas. And... And I miss you. I just want to know why you're always out so long..." She really didn't want to bring up the worst-case scenario unless she absolutely had to. But it was always on her mind.
She was expecting Sera to freeze up, to look like she was trapped. Instead, her whole body relaxed and she got one of her brilliant, shining smiles. "Yeah. Yeah, I really can't pull one over on you for long, can I? Hm... Yeah, and your timing, I mean. Okay, here goes..." Rose could only watch in fascination as Sera stood from the couch and went to her purse, fishing around for a moment. When she returned, she didn't sit, instead getting down on one knee and opening a small box. Inside was a pair of rings, both of them silver with what looked to be maybe lapis lazuli set into them. "Um, I know they're not the most traditional, but I-I think they look better."
As much as she wanted to cut her off and scream 'yes', she couldn't shake the fact that five minutes ago she had been worried about Sera using again. She clamped her hand over her mouth as a sob clawed its way up her throat. Tears began to burn her eyes immediately. Something about the juxtaposition of the situation hurt in a pure, searing way.
The blonde was quick on the uptake, joining her on the couch once again, the box of rings all but forgotten in the moment. "Hey~ Hey, it's okay, whatever it is, you can tell me. If it's too soon, just say the word! I didn't mean to freak you out..."
She shook her head frantically, choking back another sob. "Thuh-That... That's not... Oh, god, Sera, I'm an idiot..."
"You're not. And whoever told you that you are is a damn liar." She carefully took her hand and pried it away from her mouth, releasing her quiet sobs. Then she gently wiped at her eyes with a patient smile. "Now why don't you tell me where you got such an idea."
"I-I-I thought... I thought... I mean, while you were out making extra money to do something so sweet, here I was getting paranoid that you were... that... Y-You were using again..." That caused a pathetic whimper to interrupt her, and Rose was preparing herself to be chewed out. "I'm so sorry. I can't believe that-"
Any further apology was silence with a passionate kiss from Sera, suddenly clinging to her almost desperately. From the anxiety and fear to the stress of confronting the other woman, to the relief of the truth and utter depression of feeling like a monster, Rose felt as though she'd been on a roller coaster. Kissing was something she knew, and before long she was holding onto Sera just as tightly. She completely lost all sense of time or reality.
It was Sera who ended the kiss, though she didn't pull very far away. Her hand came to rest on Rose's cheek, and she gazed into her eyes lovingly. "If you ever start to feel that way again, I want you to be completely honest with me. Immediately. Addiction is no joke, and I won't get lost down in that hole again. I don't want you to ever feel guilty for being worried about me. I know it comes from a place of love. Now..." She reached, fumbling only slightly for the box once again. "...you didn't really let me uh... actually get to the... the thing." With that, she got back down onto her knee, popping open the box once more. "Rose? Will you marry me?"
This time, she didn't miss a beat. "Of course!" They met in another brief kiss, and then Sera carefully slid the ring onto her finger, beaming like the sun. "You should know by now, I couldn't care less about a fancy ring. This is beautiful, a-and you're beautiful, and I'm so happy."
"Mom? Mama? What's going on?" Rachel stepped slowly into the living room, noticing too late that Rose's eyes were a bit red. "Oh god, is everything okay? Don't sugar-coat it! I'll know if you lie..."
That only caused Rose to start laughing, even if she did look like a bit of a mess. She held up her hand to make sure that Rachel could see the new ring. "Everything is wonderful, sweetheart. Your mom here was just proposing to me."
Immediately their daughter cleared the distance between them, gasping with delight, stars in her eyes. "Ahh! Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh! This is so cool! When will you make it official? Will there be a wedding? Can I help pick the dresses?"
"Easy there, firecracker." Sera snickered and tugged the girl onto the couch to sit between them. "We... might not really get to do something with this for a while. The best we can do is keep an eye on California and... and hope for the best. As for an actual wedding, uh... Jeez, I mean I can't even think of all that many people in town I would invite. Probably fewer who might show up."
She pouted, huffing softly. "Well that sucks." After a moment, something seemed to occur to her and she quickly started backpedaling. "Um, the fact that people are judgy. Not the fact that you're not having a wedding. I mean that sucks too. But also the law. And um... Wow. It's kinda scary out there huh?"
Rose exchanged a look with her... well, her fiancee. This was tough, especially with the fact that Rachel had come out to them recently. They wanted to set a good example. They wanted to leave her with some hope. "Yes, a bit. But Martin Luther King Junior once said... that the moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends toward justice."
The poor girl's face contorted just slightly as she pondered that. "Um, you lost me with that one, mama..."
She couldn't help but laugh softly. She knew she probably should have found a better phrase, but that one always had a way of comforting her. "It might take a while, but things will inevitably get better. The younger generation is always a little more generous than the last. It might be tough for us now, but I'm willing to bet that some day you'll be able to get married without any of this chaos."
"Oh. Okay, well good." Rachel reached out and took Rose's hand, idly looking over her new ring. "Mom did a really good job finding this. It's gorgeous."
Looking over at her, Sera seemed to almost be in another world, just watching the two of them peacefully, contentedly. Rose looked into her eyes and smiled wide, forgetting completely that she had ever been upset. "Yeah. She's the best."
It was one thing to say that patience was a virtue. It was quite another to actually put that into practice. As easy as it technically would have been to just go get married in Massachusetts, Sera had already spent a great deal of time away from home raising money for a pair of reasonably-priced rings. Getting the money together to make a flight out east along with all the other expenses would have put an even greater strain on things. Instead, Rose insisted on keeping a close watch on the sheer insanity happening in California.
Granted, that put its own strain on things. There was hope that the law might go their way, but then it swung back around. For almost five months she was glued to the news. All of the ups and downs. But it was worth it, when May was half-done, and the Supreme Court overturned a ruling, opening the way for all kinds of couples to marry.
When Rose came home, she swept the woman up in her arms gleefully and spun her around. "Woah! I'm guessing this has to do with that minor court case down south..."
"What do you say we go to Los Angeles for Rachel's birthday?" she asked with a large grin.
"Maybe pop in to see a justice of the peace? Ya know, for kicks?"