This is Prompt No. 2-Lovers

Mitchie was surprised that she made it down the stairs without falling. She was vaguely aware that her mother was introducing her to someone, and she was also surprised that she was able to smile pleasantly at whoever it was and make some small conversation with them because her attention was entirely focused on Shane.

"I beg your pardon, what?" she had to ask at one point during the conversation.

The woman she was talking to at the time turned and saw Shane standing across the room, watching them as well. "Ah yes," she said, her accent drawing out each syllable. "He's quite the looker, isn't he?"

Mitchie blushed and stammered, "I-I."

The lady waved off her protests. "Oh don't worry," she said and grinned conspiratorially. "A little lookin' never hurt anyone."

As she walked away, Mitchie thought about pressing the issue and saying that she hadn't been looking, but then she tossed her head back. Even if the world here didn't know it, he was her husband and she had every right to look at him as much as she pleased. Her cheeks flushed again but she pushed her embarrassment away and looked back at Shane, still in shock that he was here. He was still looking at her and seemed to be getting ribbed about it as well from a fellow soldier.

Mrs. Torres clapped her hands, single-handedly stopping the buzzing conversations swirling around the room and directing all of the attention towards herself. How she did it, Mitchie would never understand. "Let the dancing begin!" she called out with a false note of happiness in her voice.

As a rule, the only couple where a woman could claim a man was if they were married. Mitchie chaffed, shifting from one foot to the other in utter disappointment. Was this something like what Romeo and Juliet felt like? Did they ever stand across from each other in a ballroom, knowing that they were lovers but being unable to go to each other? "Probably," Mitchie muttered with a roll of her eyes. "They were star-crossed lovers."

Then, without warning, Shane handed his punch glass to his friend and strode right through the middle of the dance floor, weaving almost effortlessly through the swirling couples, and coming to stand right in front of Mitchie amidst whispers from the other attendees. He bowed low, a mischievous smirk on his lips the whole time. "My lady, would you take pity on me and honor me with a dance, for if you do not, I fear that my heart shall break."

Mitchie raised an eyebrow at the flirtatious speech and then realized that every woman within hearing distance was straining to hear her answer. "Well, good sir," she said with a smirk of her own, "since it seems that I already hold your delicate heart in my hand, I shall not refuse you."

The smirk on Shane's face grew wider and the butterflies in Mitchie's stomach started fluttering furiously. Were these feelings entirely proper when seeing one's husband? At the moment, Mitchie didn't care. All she cared about was being back in her husband's arms. He held out his hand to her and she took it, feeling the tingling accelerate within her stomach.

He led her onto the dance floor and began whirling her around, in and out of the other couples, holding her as close as propriety would allow. "This is why I hate formality," he whispered in her ear, making Mitchie shiver. "I want nothing more that to hold you to my heart and never let you go."

"I feel the exact same way," Mitchie told him honestly, her voice just as low as his, "but you must, for I have a job to do here."

Shane shook his head. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

Mitchie tilted her head back and smirked again. "I'm afraid that that's classified information. It'll have to be extracted with…" she trailed off invitingly.

"With…" Shane prompted her.

The music ended and Mitchie bowed. "A kiss," she whispered before she turned away, heading back to her spot beside her mother on the edge of the dance floor.

For the rest of the evening, Mitchie and Shane continued to exchange glances from across the floor, aching to speak, aching to hold, simply aching to be near the other. When dinner was announced, Mitchie was glad for the break in the dancing. She looked for Shane, but he had disappeared. Disappointed, she turned back towards the dining room, following the last of the guests.

A sharp tug yanked her away from the prying eyes of her parents' society, and then she was under the stairs, in Shane's arms, being kissed so thoroughly that she couldn't think straight. When Shane finally pulled away, he whispered, "I've missed you so much."

"Me too," Mitchie responded, unable to catch her breath, much less respond with a complete sentence.

She turned her head to the side and Shane immediately put his hand to her chin, turning her head more to the side. "What happened?" he asked, concern creeping into his voice.

"It's part of the act," Mitchie explained, knowing that he was examining her bruise. "It's not real."

Shane nodded. "Good," he said. "Otherwise, I'd need a name, a town, and a gun."

Mitchie smiled and kissed him once again. "Nothing like that," she assured him.

Shane nodded and took her by the shoulders. "Tell me," he said. "What's our baby like?"

Mitchie smiled widely, pride washing over her features. "She looks like both of us," Mitchie told him. "She's beautiful."

"She?" Shane asked excitedly.

Mitchie nodded and glanced slyly up at Shane. "Shania Michelle."

Shane let out a laugh and pulled her tightly to him. "Shania Michelle," he whispered. "I like it."

"I was hoping you'd approve," Mitchie admitted. "I didn't really relish the idea of having to get used to a different name if you didn't like that one."

Shane realized that she was teasing and laughed slightly, offering his arm to her. "We can talk more later," he promised, "but for now, Miss Torres, would you accompany me to dinner?"

Mitchie smiled and nodded, looping her arm through his. "I'd be honored," she said.

As they walked through the hall to the dining room, Mitchie realized that she had been wrong all along. Romeo and Juliet might have been star-crossed lovers, and she and Shane might have been across-the-room lovers, but Mitchie knew one thing for sure: Romeo and his charms held nothing against Shane and his love for her.

A/N: Shoutout goes out to D0NtxGiivexUupxonxURxDReAms for her sweet note of encouragement! Thank you! And thank you to all the readers. You guys are amazing! :D