Gretchen was sitting on her bed reading a human magazine. She found them really entertaining for the wrong reasons as they provided a lot of material for her natural sarcasm to run wild.
"Hey sis!" said Gaia smiling from the door. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine" replied the Groundhog.
"G'day, Love" said the voice Gretch really wanted to hear.
"You know that it's evening, right?" she replied smiling.
Crikey. She looked terrible and wonderful at the same time. Terrible because her fur lacked its usual silky gloss and her olive eyes looked almost half their regular size. A big wool sweater covered her gorgeous body because the yetis insisted that the workshop was too cold for her right now. She was also missing her energy, her attitude, that which made her so annoying and so alluring at the same time. Beautiful because she was here, she was alive, smiling at him. He could see it in her eyes that she was excited to see him, as if she had missed him in the short hour he had been away, her smile illuminating the whole room. Beautiful because he had missed her too.
"Are you sure you can do this?" asked Mother Nature, eyeing her friend suspiciously. Bunny was not the only one who though Gretch looked terrible.
"Yes. I need to get out of this room and eat some real food, not stuff from a plastic bag" replied the Groundhog.
Gaia pushed the wheeled pole holding the bag of clear IV fluid before she realized her friend was pulling the needle right off her arm. She cringed, but it seemed to have bothered her more than Gretchen.
Bunny smiled watching the two women. He moved closer to the Groundhog hesitantly offering his arms to her. He didn't think she wanted to be carried to the dinning room but the distance was too long for her to walk. It was his arms or a wheelchair. He was thrilled to find that, not only did she take his arms but she clung to his neck and buried her face on his shoulder, inhaling his smell of spring, of home. He held her as tight as he could against his body, kissing her cheek.
"I'll... go ahead... save us some seats... later." said Gaia as she left the room as quickly as she could. Even though it was innocent, the gestures were so intimate, so full of emotion that she felt as if she was witnessing something she shouldn't have.
Dinner went by uneventful. There was still some tension between Bunny and Kozmotis, but nothing that a slap on the pooka's head- courtesy of Gretchen- couldn't resolve. They mostly just laughed and joked, happy to be celebrating together.
They danced to the rhythm of the beautiful music played by the elves, Gaia dancing on Kozmotis shoes like when she was a little girl, Tooth, Jack, Sandy and North dancing together in a circle and Bunny spinning Gretchen around in his arms, until the bells announced the New year.
"Happy New Year!" they all yelled as confetti fell from the ceiling and fireworks illuminated the sky thanks to the Sandman.
Jack pecked Tooth's lips quickly before pushing her towards the others disappearing as she got wrapped in hugs and kisses before she could realize what was going on.
After wishing Happy New Year to North, Sandy, Gaia and Kozmotis -she couldn't find Bunny and Gretchen, even though she could have sworn they were just there a second ago- she turned around looking for her favorite winter spirit but he was no where to be found. She noticed the beautiful frost patterns on the floor and followed them smiling. As she walked towards the balcony, she noticed the frost was forming feathers and snowflakes that seemed to shine with a light of their own. She thought it was a special gift for her. Maybe he had decided to accept her offer of moving in together after all.
As she walked further outside, she noticed the beautiful ice pedestal, adorned with carvings of the same snowflakes and feathers she had been following. And on top of the pedestal, something shiny that filled the balcony with green and yellow hues. It took her a few seconds to realize what it was. A ring. A very beautiful antique ring. It had a rose gold shank and ornate split shoulders. A beautiful rose cut emerald was mounted in the round closed back setting, surrounded by ten small yellow diamonds, a few millimeters away from each other, showcasing the beautiful color of the metal.
Her wings stopped and her feet touched the ground, but just before she started hyperventilating, she felt the cold hand holding hers.
"Tooth..." Jack whispered. He knew she wouldn't say no, didn't he? Then why was he so nervous? "You have been my first everything. My first kind smile, my first word of comfort, my first hug, my first kiss. I want you to be my last everything too. My everything. Toothie..." he said, going down on one knee.
She wanted to stop him, he didn't have to kneel for her, not in his current state, but she was completely frozen in place.
"Would you spend the rest of forever by my side? Would you marry me?" he continued, his voice trembling with emotion.
She forgot how to speak, but happy tears ran down her cheeks as she nodded compulsively and smiled widely. He stood up to stand in front of her, cupping her face in his hands, his thumbs wiping away her tears as he closed the gap between them.
His smile kissed hers, slowly and gently, as if she was the most precious thing in the world, because well, she was. Their lips danced to the music they knew so well for a few minutes before they broke apart. Jack reached for the ring, eager to see what it would look like on her hand.
"Mandy gave it to me. It's been in our family since forever. It's from the XVIII century! I mean, someone may have got it as an antique, but it's possible it belonged to my sister! Or her daughter! How cool would that be?! Mandy was saving it for Jamie, but she thought it was better if we had it. It will be in our family forever..." he said, putting the ring on her finger, which was harder than it should have been as they were both shaking uncontrollably.
"There..." he added, admiring his handy work. "I'm sorry you won't be able to wear it just yet, a little diamond is loose, that's why Mandy had it with her when all this started, she was going to get it fixed."
Tooth giggled. She wouldn't be able to wear it anyway. It was at least two sizes too big for her tiny fingers. But she loved it.
"Jack..." she breathed, trying to find her voice again. "It is perfect. The ring, this moment, you..."
She couldn't finish, as Jack's cold lips found their way to hers once more, kissing her again, a little more passionate this time, a little more urgent. His lips drew a path down her cheek, down her soft neck, until his nose found his favorite spot and he buried his head in her shoulder.
They stayed in each other's arms for a long time, until they felt the moonlight illuminate their faces, and when they turned around they found North, Sandy, Gaia and Kozmotis smiling at them.
When the bells announced the New Year, Gretchen was dancing in Bunny's arms.
"Happy New Year, Love!" he said, looking into her eyes.
"Happy New Year, Peter Rabbit!" she replied, smiling widely.
He saw something in her eyes, a spark that wasn't there earlier. Both his hands were on each side of her neck, his thumbs stroking her jaw gently, setting her skin on fire, making her feel alive again. She smiled as he moved closer, brushing their lips together. He kissed her as gently as he could, as if he was afraid she would break. Gretchen smiled as she pulled him closer, her lips hungry for his, her claws digging into his fur, feeling the strong muscles of his back.
He more than happily gave into her wishes, kissing her back with all the passion he had been restraining, pulling her as close as he dared, his hands drawing her small waist, his lips ravaging hers, feeling her body melting under his touch, until he realized her breathing became hard and irregular and he pulled apart, touching their noses together.
"I'm so... tired" she breathed, burying her face in his neck.
Bunny smiled and kissed the top of her head.
"I know. Come, I'll take you to bed." he said, lifting her up.
The pooka walked down the long corridor with the Groundhog in his arms until they reached the medical room. He laid her down on her bed and snuggled up next to her, his arm around her waist pressing her tight against his body, his head buried in her back and they both drifted into oblivion as her fingers drew patterns on his hands.
THE END
Who wants an epilogue? We could have JackXTooth wedding (that can be a different story), Jack and the kids or some steamy Grabbit when Gretchen is feeling better ;)
What would you like?
