15. Question
It turned out to be a broken leg. When Victor gave her the prognosis, he was worried Liza's heart would break, too. She loved to run and a leg would take weeks to heal. After a moment of silence, she asked, "Is anything else broken?" Victor assured her that her other injuries were minor. Liza's eyes sparkled at him then and she asked, "Will you check?" Victor made sure the door was locked before performing the very thorough examination. He had to admit it was a very clever and effective way of getting a clean bill of health.
Honestly, Victor was probably more upset by the wounds than Liza. Then again, the same was true when he was the one injured. It amazed him that he could be falling even more in love with this woman at every opportunity, yet his heart proved it possible each time.
Victor was pleased to see that Liza at least kept herself behind the counter while doing her shifts at the diner. It was more crowded than usual- townspeople taking advantage of the lull in magical battles.
"Hi," she greeted him, leaning over for a kiss. "On your lunch break?"
"I was hoping you could join me, but the diner looks pretty busy."
"Someone else can man the register for a while," Liza assured him. "Granny!" she shouted toward the back. "I'm going on a break!" She waited for her grandmother to shout an acknowledgment, then grabbed her crutches and hobbled her way toward Victor, everyone scooting out of the way to make room for her.
Interesting. A few months ago these same people were wary of her and Victor both. Now that they both had been injured in defending the town, everyone was accepting and even a little admiring. His staff even started calling him Frankenstein. He never really cared what people thought of him, but he liked the acknowledgment all the same.
"So Cora's defeated. The cuffs I made are keeping her from using her magic," Victor summarized once they were both outside the diner.
"Yeah. That was actually really handy." Liza flashed him a proud smile. "David and Snow are going to call a meeting to decide what to do with Cora. Hook apparently has an idea that he claims will make everybody happy."
"And I'm sure as a pirate, he has a lot of experience with being fair to everyone," Victor remarked dryly. Liza let out a snort of amusement. "What about getting back to our original lands?"
"I don't know." Liza shifted on her crutches and Victor pulled out a chair so she could sit. He sat down in a chair next to her. "The more we fight for Storybrooke, the harder it is to think of leaving it."
"I know what you mean. Logically I know that it came from the curse, but I still feel like I've lived here my whole life. And we all know each other- who we really are." Victor took Liza's hand in his. "You know I wanted to bring back my mother, and I still want to do right by my brother. A family that I lost and tried to revive. But lately..." His fingers gripped hers tighter as he took in a nervous breath. "I'm known as a creator, and lately I've been thinking a lot about wanting to create a new family."
Liza's fingers twitched and gripped his back just as tightly. From the way her breath caught, Victor knew she was anticipating where this was going. But just to eliminate any guesswork, he slid off his chair and got down on one knee.
"Will you marry me?"
"Yes." The warmth of her smile spread its way through his whole body. Victor grinned back, shifting off his knee so he could kiss her. "Yes," Liza repeated, cupping his face in her hands as they kissed. He carefully lifted her back on her feet and held her close.
For one moment the two of them were cocooned in their private happiness. Then the rest of the town reminded them of its presence by applause and cheers from those in the diner. Victor had no idea how long they'd been watching but they were all unashamedly turned toward the couple and Granny was standing in the open doorway. Victor and Liza spared their audience a smile before turning back toward each other.
"I have a ring," Victor mentioned. He dug in his pocket and pulled out the box. The ring was twisted into an infinity symbol that sparkled with rubies and diamonds. It fit perfectly onto Liza's finger.
Liza slid her hands up around his neck and Victor bent his head down so their foreheads touched. "I love you," she whispered.
Victor had been in the room when Emma's kiss broke the curse; he knew that love was powerful. But there was a big difference between knowing and feeling, and he didn't truly feel that power until Liza. "I love you, too."
And then, they said it together: "Monster to monster."