*Okay. So here's my apology. I may or may not have gotten grounded the day after I posted the last chapters for my fics. I haven't been on a computer since. I know. I suck. It's the first time I've ever been grounded this long and I hate it! Anyway, while I was away I finished the stories by writing them down(IN A NOTEBOOK. WITH A PENCIL. Oh the humanity!) so that I could finish them when I got back. So it's gonna take some time, but my stories are actually done. So now I just need to type them up! :D Anyway, here we go!*

I tossed my wrapper in the garbage can, gazing past it at the roman fountain beyond. Takashi was standing at a tourist stand with gifts for children, looking for something small and cuddly to send his cousin, while I sat in one of the same little cafes we'd visited the day before. Neither of us had gotten much sleep, so we were both a bit drowsy to say the least. There was a certain level of pain one felt, being in a room with someone you love and still not being able to touch them. Sure, we could have, but we tend to get carried away, so... Whatever.

I rubbed my eyes, having not put on any makeup this morning, and stretched in the warm Roman sun. A scraping of wrought iron chair legs on pavement told me my fiance had returned. I gave him a simple sigh of acknowledgment. Eyes closed, stretched out, sun on my face, I let go of the awkwardness from last night and let myself enjoy just being there with him. Within a few moments- with an accompanying scratch of the chair again- there was a pair of hands on my neck.

I sighed again, more of a moan, because it simply felt so good. My lovey definitely knows how to give a proper massage. Rough hands, but gentle movements. Most people just kind of caress your skin, but a deep massage is better than anything in the world. I felt his elbow press against my shoulder blade, almost like he was trying to get under it. It was fantastic.

"You should definitely do this more often," I said to the table I was now leaning over, "You work miracles."

I could almost feel him smile as he continued. A sudden thought struck me. "Hey," He paused in his massage, "What do you want for Christmas?"

His body shook slightly as he resumed his intense rubbing. "What do you think?" That was answer enough. I sighed for the third time, for a third reason. Of course he wouldn't want anything. Well, that's not true, he'd want me. Honestly, not a selfish thing. If anyone were to ask him and he were answering honestly, he'd want me.

Well, crap.

Christmas is gonna be a lot harder now.

Eventually, we decided we should get going. As I stood and stretched, he wrapped his arms around my waist. I gripped his wrists and pressed my back against him. A short kiss later, we were walking along yet another twisting Roman back street. I slipped my camera and camcorder out of my purse, handing the latter to my husband-to-be. "Here, take some video for the family, will ya? But don't say anything that makes it sound like we're here alone... My mother would find us and scalp us both." He grinned down at the camcorder as he flipped it on, knowing full well that I meant it.

"Here." Which simply meant he was recording. Of course he wouldn't talk on camera. That would be against his whole being. I stuck my tongue out at him as he turned the camera toward me, then perked up.

"Hello distant relatives! Long lost Rebekah here, reporting from the wild and untamed Roman backstreets! Crazy, right! I'm walking around with my fiance, the loving and wonderful Taka-chan, who is doing double duty as my camera man! Say hey!" He spun the camera and waved quickly, then turned it back on me. I snapped a few pictures of the buildings and then turned back to my narration. I gave my English an Australian accent, trying to mimic the Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin, a famous animal expert from back in the day when I was young. "Here we see a wild pigeon, a white bird with gray speckles on it." I snapped another picture of it, and it looked right at me quizzically. "Oh, I've been spotted!" We laughed for a moment at my stupidity while we mock ran from the not-so vicious bird.

"Okay, well, we're gonna head off to get tattoos or dye our heads orange. See you guys later! OH! And one more thing, We're sending out wedding invites next week or so, so look for those in the mail! Hope you can all make it!" We waved at the camera and shut it off, then continued our walk down the street, headed for a more populated area.

"So... Do you really wanna dye your hair orange? Cause I like it the color it is now." My fiance joked.

"Oh, no, I like my hair. It's your hair I have a problem with!" I nudged him as we kept marching on. "However," I added, "It would be cute to get matching tattoos!"

With a quick glance down at me to realize I was serious, he nodded, "Okay."

"Wait, what?"

"Okay. Let's get tattoos."

"Wha- no, Tak- I didn't mean it!"

"You did. I could see it in your eyes. You want a tattoo."

"Well even if I did I-"

"Come on." He was flicking his thumb around his phone's touch screen, holding my hand with his unoccupied one, and dragging me forward.

"You can't- you're not- seriously?"

"There's a place two blocks from here. Let's go."

I stumbled along beside him. He seemed a bit too excited. "Oh, I see how it is. YOU're the one that really wants a tattoo- but since I showed interest in it, you're taking advantage of it so that you have an excuse to get one."

He looked down at me and smiled slyly. "Yep. Now let's go."