Fordia! So much Fordia! Except for the part at the beginning and the part at the end. Other than that, it's my attempt at something romantic. Enjoy!
Chapter Seven: Better Late Than Never
After what those pixies told me today, I am left with even more questions about…
My Destiny
I finally took the time to ponder everything they and Bill have told me, and I've made some educated guesses as to what evil I am destined to face:
1. This mystery villain is someone am already acquainted with. That or someone I know is working with this person. Either way, I think this because Phineas mentioned that someone I know is deceiving me. But, I have no way of knowing who it is!
2. Whatever I am supposed to do will come at a heavy cost. I remember when Bill showed me a vision of my future self - before or after I face the villain, I'm not sure. All I know is that the sheer AGONY I felt was...so real, so powerful. Needless to say, I'm in no hurry to find out what THAT was all about.
3. Phineas mentioned a "Destroyer." Not sure what that means, but I think it has something to do with my mystery enemy.
4. Whoever my foe is, he will be the most powerful being I've ever faced. Probably not including Bill?
Who is deceiving me? Is my mystery enemy someone I care about, someone I already hate, someone I have yet to even meet? Does my destiny have something to do with my being a Protector? (Still don't know much about that one.) So many questions, and absolutely ZERO answers! I must get to the bottom of this immediately…
...after I take care of that thing I wanted to do with the mystic topaz. Hope Nadia likes it!
Ford was nervous. He didn't know why. It wasn't like Nadia was going to say no. He told himself it was because of their difference in customs. Nadia's home-dimension didn't have any real courtship rituals. People there just kind of got together. Yes, that was probably why he was nervous. He didn't want scare or confuse her with something that she would consider bizarre or unnecessary. He patted the bulge in his pants pocket. No, she wouldn't feel that way. Nadia Blackburne was a sentimental person. At the very least, she would find it cute, right? (But, Ford didn't want it to be merely cute.) Standing in the middle of their shared bedroom, Ford tugged anxiously at the ends of his sweater's sleeves. God, did he ever feel naked without his trench coat. He had taken it off, because it didn't seem proper to wear it for what he was going to do. He wished he had something a little dressier to wear. Nadia wouldn't care, but he still felt under-dressed in only a red sweater and black pants.
When Nadia finally walked in (even though she was wearing jeans and a Hollistaeropostale brand T-shirt, he still felt under-dressed), the first she said was laced with both suspicion and amusement. "Okay, can you please explain to me why Starclops demanded that I wear something 'dangerously sexy' under my clothes before I come in here?"
Don't think too hard about it. Don't think too hard about it, Ford mentally repeated like a mantra. He cleared his throat. He could do this. She wouldn't say no, would she? No, she wouldn't. Of course, she wouldn't. He wouldn't force her to go through an entire marriage ceremony; God knew those things had never appealed to him anyway. He just wanted to give her the ring. He drew in a calming breath. "Nadia, there's...something I want to do. Something I've been wanting to do, but never had the, uh, materials to do it."
Nadia tilted her head. "Okay… What do you wanna do?"
Ford raked a hand through his hair then silently chided himself for messing up his hair at a time like this. "It's, um… Well, your kind don't have courtship rituals, so I never brought it up before, but there's this thing that humans do, and… I-I kinda wanna do it."
"Oh." Nadia frowned sadly. "I'm sorry, Ford. I would have done it, if I'd known."
"No, no, don't feel bad. I'm the one who never said anything about. A total mistake on my part."
She walked up to him and smiled shyly. "If it's something your kind do, then we should do it. It's only right."
"Okay." Moment of truth. Pretending his hands weren't shaking, Ford dropped to one knee. Nadia did the same, and he laughed. "Actually, you don't have to-"
"Oh. Oh, sorry." She stood back up. "What do I do?"
That smile, those eyes… After all these years, he still never tired of her beauty, never tired of her. "Well, uh, I had this little speech planned about how much I love you." Nadia looked away shyly, grinning wide, blushing hard. The blush that spread over Ford's face, however, was out of pure embarrassment. "But honestly, I...I sort of forgot what I was going to say… Sorry about that. It's just… Well, here I am with the single most amazing person in the multiverse, and she actually reciprocates those feelings to me. Meanwhile, I'm not exactly a girl magnet. I'm not amazingly handsome. I'm not super cool. I'm just a nerd with too many fingers for a human being. But, you..." He looked up at her and was both surprised and alarmed to see her lavender eyes shining with unshed tears and a hand over her mouth. At first, he thought that his earlier fears were true and he was overwhelming her.
Then, she lowered her hand, revealing a tender smile. Her voice was thick with emotion. "Go on."
Ford's heart pounded in his chest as he smiled up at her. "You're just…incredible. You're so kind, smart, brave… Hell, I don't know what I did to make someone like you love me, but I'm glad I did it." He stood up and took her callused hands in his. "I adore you, Nadia. I don't know what's going to happen in the future, but I want you by my side through it all."
Some of the beings you love will be lost.
Good God, of all the times for Bill's warning to echo through his mind… Ford squeezed her hands, smiling through the fear. She was here with him now, and he'd do everything in his power to keep it that way.
Nadia didn't seem to notice his anxiety. "Sounds like you remembered your speech after all."
Ford breathed a laugh. "Actually, I think this is better than my prepared speech." It was true. In his first one, he'd tried to make every word sound romantic, only for it to turn out ridiculously cheesy. Was it the mystic topaz's power making his words sound right? Perhaps it didn't matter. "I know this is kind of redundant at this point, but tradition states that I ask anyway." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring - a thin silver band with a small dot of the mystic topaz. It wasn't much, but it was the best he do (also, that jeweler's prices put tourist traps to shame). Nadia made a small intake of breath as Ford gently slid it on to her slender finger. "Will you marry me, Nadia?"
Nadia sniffed and looked up at him through watery eyes. "I don't know what that means."
"Uh, right." It was easy to forget that they were literally from two different worlds. "Basically, I'm asking if you'll...be with me. For better or worse, as long as we both shall live. That sort of thing."
"Oh." She nodded and wiped her eyes. "Then, yes. I will."
Ford exhaled in relief. "You have no idea how scared I was that you would say no."
Nadia laughed in disbelief. "Really? You really thought I'd say no?"
"Well, our customs are different, and-"
Nadia laughed again. "You're silly." Ford blushed at the comment. Nadia gazed lovingly at her ring. "I wished you'd have told me about this tradition before. What should I do with the ring?"
"Keep it," Ford told her.
"I will," Nadia promised, her heart swelling at the look in his blue eyes. "Is there anything else we have to do?"
He held her cheek in his hand. He would never forget the joy in her eyes. "All you have to do now is kiss me."
She smiled softly and wrapped her arms around his neck. He pulled one arm around her back, and the other cradled her head as they kissed. Fire burned through Stanford's entire being, and he tentatively lowered his hand and traced the lining of the bra underneath her shirt.
Her breath tickled his neck as she whispered. "I'm still on the pill."
That one sentence was all it took to drive Ford wild.
The sad part was that Tad was expecting to find Starclops giggling quietly outside of Ford and Nadia's bedroom door.
Starclops's orange body was the brightest he'd seen it in a long time. "I made Nadia wear a black bra with hot pink lace and matching panties." She giggled again. "I bet Ford's enjoying himself in there."
Tad facepalmed. "You are…" He threw his hands up. "For the love of the Axolotl, I don't even know what to call you."
"Hey, guys!" Violet called scurrying up to them. "Are Mom and Papa in there? I'm gonna be starting school soon and I wanna ask them about school because I don't know what to expect, and I-"
Tad smacked her fingerless hand away from the doorknob. "You don't wanna go in there."
"Why not?" Violet asked, her large purple eyes curious. "What are they doing in there?"
Starclops suddenly looked way too happy. "Oh, I'll tell you what they're doing-"
"Their taxes," Tad interrupted. "They're doing their taxes."
"Oh," Violet said. "How long is that gonna take?"
"...Probably all night."
Violet frowned. "Am I gonna have to do that when I'm big?"
Starclops let out a little squeal, and Tad wagged his finger at her. "No! No, Starclops! Don't you dare!" She just started laughing. "No! Do not tell her!"
Fortunately, the small child had enough sense to cover the sides of her head - where her ears would have been if she had them - and run away, saying, "I don't wanna know. I don't want to know."
RG'H VZHB GL OVZEV HLNVLMV YVSRMW. TVGGRMT GSZG KVIHLM YZXP RH NFXS, NFXS SZIWVI.
Pray to the Axolotl that Starclops never has kids. Review!
