Whew! This chapter was SO CLOSE to being not done! (Time management issues, am I right?) You guys are great, thanks for being patient. This is one of my favorite chapters to write so far. Please, please, review- it is the air of the writer world! I hardly hear from you guys anymore! And, of course, enjoy the show!

Summary: This was the night everything changed.

*NOTE: In this chapter, Liam and Ruby are older, for this is set several years in the future. I'm thinking mid to early twenties. Enjoy!

Ruby's past assumptions have been proven correct-Liam was a hopeless romantic.

Liam had spontaneously taken Ruby out for dinner (a lot of things they did were done spontaneously) and seemed uncharacteristically nervous and clumsy.

"There are awful lot amounts of people here. Think we'll get a table?" Ruby asked, looking up at Liam. People swarmed around them, many of them sending a glance at Ruby before their eyes quickly skittering away.

"Oh, I'm sure we'll get a table." Liam said confidently. A waiter gestured for them to follow. Liam raised his hand and placed it in-between her shoulder blades, directing her to the right direction.

Reaching the table, Ruby was pleasantly surprised to see it overlooked a lake that was next to the restaurant. Normally, they sat at a modest table, not crammed in the corner, but not like this either.

"How'd you manage this?" Ruby asked as Liam held out the chair for her. Always the gentleman, Ruby thought as she sat.

"Oh, I have my people."

Liam was pretty sure he was going to pass out, throw up, or explode.

In his whole life, he could only think of three other times when he had felt this nervous. When Ruby walked towards Lady Jane, when he didn't know who Ruby was, and when he and Harry had gone into Thurmond to go rescue Ruby. Even then, this was a whole new level that smooth talking, charming, Liam had never experienced before.

There was so much that could go wrong! What if the pictures were blurry, or the camera didn't work? What if Ruby caught Chubs? What if what if what if what if! Throughout the dinner, Liam forced himself to eat even though his stomach was cartwheeling through his body. So many variables, so many ways that he might screw this up. There were so many was this could go wrong.

But then, there were so many ways this go right.

As the night progressed, Ruby felt more and more paranoid.

She felt like people throughout the restaurant were watching her. Truthfully, it was giving her the willlies. Running arms up and down goosebumped flesh, Ruby looked at Liam who was half-heartedly nibbling on a piece of bread.

"I feel like someone's watching us." Ruby said to Liam.

His golden head snapped up, at attention like a soldier on parade. "Hmm? No, no, I think we're fine. Yup, nothing suspicious here, hehe."

Ruby cocked an eyebrow at Liam, but didn't comment on it otherwise.

Nearing the end of he night, the sun dipping behind he horizon, Ruby heard the unmistakable click of a camera behind her.

Hissing and spinning around in rage, Ruby faced a man whose eyes were covered by a hat, a camera poised in place.

"You again." Ruby hissed. In the last three dates she and Liam had gone on, Ruby had thought someone had been taking pictures of her. The first two times, Ruby thought she was just being paranoid. Last time, she made a note to be sure to keep an eye out for the strange person next time.

"Who are you and why the hell are you taking pictures of me?" Ruby asked the stranger. The people around them fell quiet. He said nothing, just smiled.

Narrowing her eyes, Ruby was about to take the plunge into the strangers' mind before Liam's arms around her waist stopped her.

"Ruby," Liam said shakily at her ear, "look again."

Confused, Ruby averted her olive eyes back to the stranger. Well, not anymore. The "stranger" was a dark-skinned friend; thick prescription glasses and the always- resting smirk.

"Chubs?" Ruby was beyond confused. Behind him, two dark-clad figures stepped out dark hats also covering their faces until they tilted their heads upward. "Vida? Zu? What the hell are going on?" Chubs stepped forward, undoing the camera strap around his neck and extended it to Ruby.

"Go on, we don't have all night." Chubs said shaking with excitement. Taking it, Ruby hesitantly opened the memory. The first picture that popped up was the first date Ruby and Liam went on in the recent months. Liam was facing the camera, but Ruby's back was to the camera, a paper taped on her back saying,

Will

Tilting her head, Ruby (still unknowing) scrolled to the next picture.

Different place, different clothes, but same position. Liam facing the camera, Ruby facing away, another paper taped onto the cream jumper she was wearing at the time.

You

Paling, Ruby's hands began to tremble and a hand flew to her mouth. Shaking, she tapped the button to go to the next photo. It was like the rest, a new word on the back.

Marry

Vida took the camera from Ruby's hands, which had begun to shake too hard to hold the camera. Moving a hand to reach behind her back, the familiar feel of paper met her searching fingertips. She remembered earlier in the evening, when Liam placed his hand on her back. Detaching the copy paper from her back, she turned it over to reveal Liam's flourishing handwriting.

Me?

Around her people gasped and smiled. Zu tugged on her arm, directing her to turn around. Ruby pivoted. Liam was on one knee, hands fumbling in his jacket pocket, blonde hair sprinkled with the orange sunset reflecting off the lake. His hands revealed a little black box. Opening it, a ring was revealed. The base of the ring was made up of twining pieces of metal made to look like the petals of a flower. Tiny flowers embellished the sides of the ring, and in the center, a diamond lay, like a stargazer that had just bloomed. Circles of tiny crystal dotted around the metallic vines, like blossoms waiting to bloom.

"Ruby Elizabeth Daly," Liam started shakily, snapping Ruby out of her trance.

"Darlin', will you do me the honor," Ruby felt tears pricking her eyes.

"And marry me?"

Liam felt like a whole lifetime passed around him, when really a second passed by. Ruby's hair glinted orange from the reflection of the setting sun across the lake. Everyone and everything had stopped, everything holding in their breath.

Zu had her fingers crossed.

Say yes.

Quietly, almost too quiet for any of them to hear,

"Yes."

The world exploded around them. Liam slid the ring snugly around Ruby's slightly trembling finger. He picked her up, twirling them around until they were giggling from dizziness. The crowd around them clapped, and a spray of champagne sprinkled their hair.

"Of course I'll marry you, you idiot." Ruby told Liam as he swept her up bridal style.

They kissed, the taste of champagne on their lips.

Let me know if you guys think I should do a wedding chapter!