(no subject)

[last_adam]

The sun's bright (well, in England terms, it is) and the air is fresh (aside from the pollution from the cars) and the food is fresh (okay, no, it's take-away, but that'll do).

They hadn't had hotel reservations, but you'd be surprised what miracles being the son of satan could bring about, and you'd be surprised how comfortable the beds at the Mandarin Oriental are, even if Adam and Alanna spent more of the night smiling awkwardly at each other than sleeping. (Yes, just smiling awkwardly. No, that's not a euphemism. They may not have a lot of tact, but there was another person in the room, you perverts.)

And after store after store (after store) of being subjected to Alanna and Lucy's retail therapy, Adam's more than pleased to be stretched out on a blanket near a small lake (pond, really) with the sound of traffic almost, but not quite, out of hearing.

"Would one of you mind passing me a biscuit?"

Comments

[the_lioness]

"I know a certain king who did a much worse job."

Bright red, Alanna looks back and forth between them.

"No, he mustn't." She bites her lip. "I mean- We talked about it! I don't expect that. I never expected that!"

A little panicked, Alanna glances at Adam and finds herself quite unable to look away.

[last_adam]

Well, it's not like his eyes are leaving hers.

His voice, though, is low, quiet, only the two of them can hear him.

"I know you don't expect it."

And he bites his lip and grins, and he glances back at Lucy, only very quickly, before turning back to Alanna.

"Maybe that makes it better."

[called_lioness]

Lucy's voice is quiet and all she says is, "Do it properly, Adam."

[last_adam]

His face is pink, but he's grinning as he turns to her and, clearing his throat, kneels.

He doesn't have a ring aside from the one he's already given her, but he holds her hand in his, and squeezes it.

"Alanna of Trebond. Would you do me the honour of being my wife?"

[the_lioness]

Alanna knows she's blushing. In fact, she's aware of every last little detail of this moment, from the feel of his hand right down to the bird chirping in a nearby tree. And if either of them ever let on that she had tears in her eyes when he asked, she'll play a prank on them the likes of which they've never seen.

Or maybe not.

Looking deep into his eyes, she bites her lip and smiles, her free hand lifting to his cheek.

"Aye, Adam. I do believe I will. It would be my honor as well."

[called_lioness]

Lucy looks down and smiles and murmurs, more to herself than either of them, "Good."

And only that, but it is true, and meant, and so only that is not really only anything, at the moment.

[last_adam]

That grin on Adam's face? Yeah, it's not going anywhere. For a good long while. He leans forward and kisses Alanna, and it's maybe a bit longer than a moment before he turns again.

"So! Tower of London, and then a Register's Office."

[the_lioness]

"Swords and then registering?"

Still dazed, she squeezes his hand and beams at Lucy.

[called_lioness]

Lucy beams back.

"No, bookstore, then Tower, then flowers for Alanna, and then the Registrar."

She stands and brushes herself off, glancing at them.

"Busy afternoon, really. We should get started."

[last_adam]

Adam stands, himself, toes on his shoes, and offers Alanna a hand.

...it's only right, after all.

He wraps his arm around her waist while she puts on her boots, and the picnic array gets ignored for the moment, but nobody who comes across the area later will find anything out of the ordinary.

[the_lioness]

"Why do I need flowers? Mostly they just make me sneeze. But we can get you flowers, if you wish!"

Alanna's smile isn't going anywhere either, and if she takes a moment to steal a kiss and whisper I love you, who can blame her?

[called_lioness]

"Humor me," she says cheerfully, "it's not every day you prompt you ex-boyfriend to propose to his girlfriend. Flowers will make it perfect."

[last_adam]

Adam laughs - at Lucy, at him, at Alanna, it's not really clear. Maybe he's just excited. But he laughs as they walk through the park, Adam and Alanna hand in hand and Lucy there smiling, and if you'd asked him a year ago if this would ever happen, he'd've likely turned you into a toad.

The book store isn't far, and it's clean and air conditioned, and can you blame him, really, if this one time he sits off to the side and just watches the girls browse, a stupid grin on his face?

[the_lioness]

Every few minutes, Alanna brings him a new book to look at like it's a priceless treasure. She's relatively certain he's heard of most of them before, but he humors her excitement and puts them back in the right spot when she moves on to the next.

She gets tears in her eyes all over again when she discovers that the war section is right next to the bookshelf holding books on animals.

But there's one section in particular that gets several furtive looks.

[called_lioness]

Lucy peers over her shoulder to see what that particular section is.

[the_lioness]

Luckily, the section in question is across the aisle from history. When Alanna notices Lucy watching her, she smiles brightly and moves to find a book on chivalry.

Mostly she's just amazed there are that many books on pregnancy and motherhood. She wasn't aware that this would be something for which she could study.

She wanders back a few minutes later with a book on chivalry and another on Rasputin. Don't ask.

[last_adam]

He doesn't ask, but he does give her an AWFULLY strange look. But he just laughs, and kisses her cheek.

"Find anything you like?"

[the_lioness]

Based entirely on the jacket cover, Rasputin reminds her a bit of Roger.

"Far more than we can carry, I'm sure. Lucy, did you find anything for Caspian?"

[called_lioness]

Earlier, she bought him something on a whim, a small statue

(the lion and the unicorn were fighting for the crown)

and she thinks he'll like it. But she picked up a book here, too, and she thinks this works as well.

"I did find this," she says thoughtfully, showing Alanna the cover.

And she plans to get it, but her eye catches something else in the children's section, and she can't quite help wandering over after a moment, leaving the first book in Alanna's hands, and picking it up.

[the_lioness]

It's a beautiful book. Alanna feels a little seasick just looking at it, but she is certainly Caspian would have no such difficulty. Obviously. After a moment, she trails after Lucy with a curious expression.

"What's that?"

[called_lioness]

Lucy opens it and says, very slowly, "Puff, the Magic Dragon."

[the_lioness]

Silence.

And then Alanna bursts out laughing.

"That's the song! A few people sang it to Puff. Oh, gods. It must be a sign."

[called_lioness]

"Alanna," Lucy says seriously after a moment, "I think when I step out the Door for the last time, now, I'm going to go to Hell, but I must buy this anyway."

Nearby, a woman mutters about damned new age religions and walks past.

Lucy does not notice her.

"I love Caspian, but I must."

[the_lioness]

Which is probably for the best, really, as the woman stops short and turns around to glare when Alanna says,

"Oh, Goddess. Absolutely. Look, the dragon is even green."

[last_adam]

"You are a cruel, cruel woman, Lucy."

The girl behind the counter gives him a strange look as he pays for the books (yes, all of them), but he ignores her and pushes blithely out of the store and back on to the bustling street, trying to orient himself.

"And if you ever play that tape around our children, I will find some way to kill you again."