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Will You Marry Me

Laurence had been invited to drive with Angus and Felicity to her parents for the weekend. He was eager to make the trip, so, exacting promises from him to be on his best behavior Caroline assented. Life was beginning to settle into new routines for all of them and Laurence had been feeling a little cooped up between the confines of the flat and the particularly cold snowy weather this winter. Caroline thought it would do him good to get out with Angus and have some fun.

That morning the two women had completed the work they'd brought home to do over the weekend, taking turns changing out loads of laundry to prepare for the week ahead. After a leisurely lunch they'd retired for the afternoon rest that Caroline insisted upon for Kate and which had become a pleasant ritual for her too on the weekends. Neither woman had been much on napping up until this point but Kate did, in fact, now need the rest and Caroline was simply glad to be near Kate.

Having made love, slept and wakened they still lay stretched out on the bed idly talking of whatever came to mind. Caroline lying on her stomach and elbows within Kate's encircling arm shivering at the fingers that traced patterns between the freckles on her shoulder. She felt as relaxed as she could ever remember being and was willing simply to gaze into the lovely face, which never failed to fascinate her.

High intermittent clouds skidding overhead caused random light fluctuations that changed the hue and tone of Kate's skin. Caroline had always been captivated by the luminous quality of this mercurial skin. No named colors were accurate to describe it and no object she'd ever seen matched it. It was uniquely Kate and that suited Caroline down to the ground. She was content simply to study and adore.

At length, Caroline was unable to resist leaning in and running her tongue over the curvy upper lip, paying special attention to the delicately pointed tip in the center. That point alone had the power to bring her to full arousal. Caroline whispered, "God, Kate, I still want you." Marveling, "I can never get enough of you. Close as we are, I want to be closer. I want to inhale you." Feeling Kate's arm tighten around her she pressed closer, "It scares me sometimes how much I love you."

Raising her face just enough to touch their lips together Kate felt the tingle run through her and the answering shiver in Caroline. Feeling that velvet tongue luring her in, Kate rolled her back and made impossibly slow sensuous love to Caroline's mouth. Eventually Caroline breathed, "Kate, if you touch me now, I'll come undone."

Languidly Kate let her hand move down the quivering stomach, delicate teasing fingers giving a preview of the motion they would make when they reached their destination, further shallowing Caroline's breathing. Finding her firmly erect the promise was delivered and the soft convulsing cry quick to follow.

It was all too much for Kate and finding Caroline's willing hand she guided it to her and with Caroline's deft strokes her own cries followed soon after. Clutching one another, entwining they tried to get closer still, smoldering fires unquenched.

In the slanting sunlight of late afternoon, they scrambled eggs and made toast because it was easy. Sitting on their favorite corner stools they fed one another choice bits by hand for the sheer pleasure of putting fingers into one another's mouth.

Making quick work of stuffing dirty dishes into the dishwasher, they turned off the lamps to get the full effect of the lights of the town through their panoramic windows, letting Kate's romantic playlist pull them into dancing before the view. The baby kept them just the right distance apart to gaze into one another's eyes.

"Kate?"

Eyes soft, fingering Caroline's hair as she so often did when they were close, "Mmmm?"

Shy but needing to know, "Have you thought anymore about marrying me?"

Ghost of a smile playing on her lips, "Mmm hmm."

"And?"

Amusement in her eyes Kate kept them cast down in order not to reveal too much too soon. "And what?"

One hand on the small of her back pressing her close, the other tipping up her chin so Caroline could see her eyes, "Kate, will you marry me?"

Warmly tender, "Yes, Caroline. I will marry you." Laying her lips on Caroline's, until a fat salty tear made its way into the kiss. Pulling back then, "Caroline, are you crying?"

Wiping her eyes, "No."

Smiling lovingly, helping to blot away the tears, "You are. Dear Heart, why are you crying?"

"I didn't think you would say yes."

"Didn't you?"

"You didn't last time."

Sweetly explaining, "But you didn't ask me last time."

Surprised, "I did."

"Noooo. We talked about many things including marriage but you didn't actually ask me."

Taken aback, "Oh." Remembering back, she couldn't recall actually having asked the question. "If I had?"

"Dunno."

"But now…"

Smiling, "But now, yes."

Daring to ask, "What's changed?"

Impishly, "Well, you aren't still married anymore, so, no bigamy."

Smiling ruefully, "Anything else?"

Growing serious now, "For me it wasn't necessary. What we have between us is so sacred that marriage seems redundant." Catching Caroline's face, turning it back to meet her eyes, "For us, it seems right." Holding blue eyes with brown, the love flashing between them, "Because of all the things you said. There are legalities to consider." It was Kate who misted up now, "Because if anything should happen to me I want to be sure that it is you who raises our daughter."

Pulling Kate's forehead down to hers and wiping away tears with her thumbs, "Kate, My Brown Eyed Girl, nothing is going to happen to you." Fiercely, "I won't let it." Pressing tear stained cheek to tear stained cheek they swayed to the music for a time, cherishing the other, each a little afraid of what might be in store for them before the baby was delivered safely and knowing in their heart of hearts that there was little they could do to change the flow of events.

Wedding Planning

With a weary back, Kate led Caroline to the sofa, they lay face to face ignoring the night view through the windows. Her eyes crinkling at the corners, already knowing the answer, "So have you been thinking about the wedding you want?"

Seeing she was caught out, Caroline pulled in her chin and gave her winning smile, "Maybe."

Kate laughed out loud. "Maybe!" she scoffed. "I'll bet you have every detail worked out down to the name of the caterer.

Raising her chin, "No caterers. It is all going to be very simple." Then, remorseful when she realized that it wasn't only her wedding. Wrinkling her nose, "I suppose we ought to talk about what we want."

Brown eyes still twinkling, "Tell me what you're thinking and I will tell you if there is anything else or something that I disagree with."

Pressing her lips to Kate's, she said wonderingly, "You are very sweet to me."

Tracing lines across her brow, moving aside the fringe, fingertips smoothing under the eyes, over the lips, her own eyes shining, "I love you so much Caroline." Regaining her composure and smiling again, "So, tell me," she prompted.

Shrugging a bit, "Since we have both been married before, I was thinking we could keep it very simple, immediate family. Maybe find a magistrate who would come here. Have the ceremony in front of the windows," tipping her head over her shoulder. "7:00pm ceremony, cake and champagne, throw the mob out and it's just you and me again. What do you think?"

Laughing shortly, "That is pretty simple. Flowers?"

Agreeing, "Of course, flowers."

Musing for a moment. "My cousin Margo is a magistrate in Leeds."

"Is she? I didn't know that." Recalling the tale of summers at the McKenzie grandparent's home, "Is she the one who played 60s & 70s records you found in the house with her record player on the porch?"

Smiling fondly, "Yes, that's Margo. We were the only two girls, plus the four boys. Donnie & Margo belong to Uncle Donald, my Dad's oldest brother and his wife Aunt Sylvia. Donnie was killed in Dublin in the nineties, he was in the army, Kevin adored Donnie. Used to follow him everywhere. I think Donnie's death is one of the reasons he decided to go into Doctors without Borders.

Rousing from this reverie, "Margo and Graham have Pam, who married Jason Hughes last year. Uncle Gordon and Aunt Eileen have Scott who is married to Brenda and they have Kirsty and Douglas both at school and Duncan married Patsy and they have Kim who is still in school as well."

"Gosh," is all Caroline can think to say at this eruption of names. Then coming to it slowly, "Sooo, if you ask Margo to marry us, you'll need to invite the rest as well?"

The scrunched up face giving away the admission, "I'm afraid there would be hurt feelings if we didn't."

Caroline's voice rising an octave, "So how many is that?"

Counting quickly in her head, "Eighteen, if they all came.

"So, we'd need to invite Auntie Muriel and Marta's family, counting Will, Laurence, Mum & Alan, the Greenwoods that is 12. With you and me we'd be 32." Blinking at Kate she said again, "Gosh."

Giving her own charming smile, "We could do that here, couldn't we?"

Seeing the appeal in Kate's face, she softened, "Course, of course. In this room we could do that easily." Regarding Kate's happiness at this, "Your very close to them all aren't you?"

"We grew up together, more or less. We all lived between here and Leeds, lots of overnights in one another's homes. We seemed to gather at any excuse, Christmas, birthdays, all the milestones and summers in Northumberland." Beaming now, "It was a good childhood."

A small answering smile on her face "Funny I've never met any of them."

Seeing her face, "Oh Caroline. It wasn't intentional. Its just that we don't get together as much now that everyone has their own family." Apologetically, "You and I really weren't together that long last spring before… Well, and this month there has hardly been time."

"No, no, I'm not saying anything about that." Looking a little taken aback, "Actually, it seems a little daunting to meet all of them."

Smiling prettily, "It isn't that many more than I walked into with the Elliots, Buttershaws and Greenwoods."

"No, I suppose not," Caroline agreed.

"Besides, that is what weddings are for isn't it? Introducing families?"

"Is it?"

"No? What was your wedding to John like?"

Dismissively, "Oh it was a bit of circus in the end. My Dad was in business, always doing deals and John's parents were very social. Both of us were an only child, so the parents all invited hoards of people with their own agendas in mind and… Well, it was all a bit of a blur really." Seeing Kate's sympathetic face, "You and Richard?"

"Mmm. Both sides of both families plus we still had quite a few friends from school and university." Belatedly remembering, "Oh! And my Mum's side, "Auntie Chris, her husband is gone now but there are my cousins Amanda and Gerald. Auntie Chris was older than Mum and she married younger so Amanda and Gerald were about 10 years older than Kevin and I. We didn't see them that much compared to the McKenzies. I'm not sure they would come up here for a wedding but that would be another seven, potentially. Sorry."

For the third time now, "Gosh."

Kate is becoming concerned, "Caroline. You aren't going to panic are you?"

"I may already have done."

Laughing softly and hugging her, "Oh Dear Heart, don't do that. It'll be alright. I promise." Rearing back, "What date were you thinking?"

"Half terms? I thought we could get away for a few days. Somewhere. February 9th?"

"Caroline! That is only three weeks away!" Blinking at her, "Now I'm starting to panic."

It is Caroline's turn to laugh, "If we follow the keep it simple plan that should be enough time shouldn't it?" Sitting up now beside Kate, "Mum and Alan get back on the 31st so they'll have had time to get rested." Her voice rising higher as it does when she's trying to convince Kate of something, "It'll be fine won't it?"

Pushing Caroline to the edge of the sofa so she can swing her legs around her to sit up, "So, when are you planning to tell your Mum about this little event, then?" Kate sat waiting for her answer, eyebrows raised thinking of Celia's potential reaction to this news.

Moving into place beside Kate, "Oh."

"Oh, indeed. They only arrived in France on Thursday. She'll be thinking we waited until they were out of the country to spring this on her."

Caroline leaned back against the sofa at this thought letting out one of her huge sighs, "Gosh!"

Kate thinking on, "Not to mention telling the boys, my Mum, asking Margo, getting the word out to the families, flowers, cake… Dresses!"

Taking Kate's gesturing hands, "Kate. Kate, your blood pressure, calm yourself. Take a deep breath." The apologetic one now, "I didn't mean to get you all wound up. I'm sorry. I am sorry." Stroking her cheek, "Take another deep breath. If you think we can't do it, we'll think again." Tilting her head and giving out the charming smile again, "You haven't changed your mind about marrying me have you?"

Trying to hold back a smile, "Maybe."

Moving in, her voice low and soft, "You haven't have you?" Letting her kisses do the convincing for her it isn't long before Caroline hears that sound in the back of Kate's throat that she's been waiting for and smiles into the kiss.

Not wanting to think about Celia just now, "What will your Mum say?"

Smiling at Caroline, "Well, she likes you, Dr. Elliot, with your crisply pressed blouses and smart outfits, your handsome sons and the way you take care of me. I imagine she will be pleased since we've come this far. "

"What does that mean? 'We've come this far'."

TO BE CONTINUED