She will be loved.

Joints creaked and muscles burned, but for what Calvin could tell as he slowly began to flex one appendage after another in search of injury, no permanent damage had been done. But that was not to say that his fall had not inflicted pain upon him. In fact, Calvin found it to be quite the task; withholding the sobs that had begun to tremble within him. So tempting was it to scream aloud once more, that for a brief moment Calvin had refused to part his lips to respond to Chase’s hasty inquiries, for he feared that he would have no control over the pained noise that was sure to escape his throat if he did so.

However, there were some questions that were entirely unavoidable. Such as Chase’s question regarding the ring that Calvin had intended to present to her in the traditional fashion; by kneeling on one knee and politely asking for Chase’s hand in marriage. But once more, Calvin’s clumsy nature had prevented such perfection from being achieved. Calvin lifted his spinning head from the ground with difficulty, fighting against the inevitability that was gravity’s effect on Earth as he did so. His dizzy eyes met with that box, which now sat on the ground, wide open for Chase to see. And in that instant, an important thought occurred to Calvin. One thought that would determine whether or not he followed through with his plan to make Chase his wife.

It is now or never, Cal.

“Chase,” Calvin began – only to be momentarily hindered by the pain that he was experiencing. He breathed shakily, and continued. “I wanted to ask you - you know, before I fell – and I still do want to ask you – to, you know...” Calvin stumbled over his words, struggling against himself much in the same way that he had when tumbling down the hill. A vibrant shade of crimson crept across Calvin’s cheeks as he spoke, as though his facial complexion had felt left out when his arms had gone a raw red prior to his fall. “I promised you forever, so… I wanted – want – to know if we could – can – get married?” Oh, how cruel confidence was. At the moment Calvin had most desperately depended on its presence it had fled from his mind, leaving him a bumbling fool, lying flat on the ground.

Chase stared at Calvin in absolute shock for a long moment, he was asking... asking her to marry him? Forever he had said, and she had.. well she had assumed marriage, but what an absolutely perfect way to ask it. Such a Calvin way to do it, such a wonderful, romantic, enthusiastic way. He spoke, and she looked at him, her eyes glowing, and starting to water from happiness. She wasn't quite sure what the best way to respond was though. Of course it was a yes, but how do you say that? Do you choke up, and say it, or do you put the ring on? Do you kiss him? Her mind went into a flurry of activity, trying to think of the perfect way to say yes, and she was suddenly very frightened that he would take her silence as a no.

So quickly, she picked up the box, pulled the ring out of it, and placed it on her finger. Then she leaned down, and kissed him, right on the lips, as enthusiastically as possible, she did everything her mind had been contemplating, putting the ring on, kissing him, and then, after she was finished, she smiled at him and whispered, her face inches from his. "Yes... yes Calvin, I will marry you." She whispered and kissed him again, happy tears streaming down her face and touching his cheeks, she knew he would be worried, but she couldn't stop herself, she was just so happy.

There was a protocol to such situations as this. Calvin was sure of it, for there could be no other explanation as to why he felt at such a loss when his proposal was responded to with tears and an enthusiastic kiss. There had to be a handbook of some sort – one that had been duplicated and distributed to everyone expect for himself. Chase was crying, but her smile suggested that she was joyful. Rather than rejecting Calvin in the way that he had expected her to after such a long, painful minute of silence, she had said “yes”. And Calvin could not have been more confused.

At the gentle touch of Chase’s lips against his own, Calvin melted. He had made an attempt to express his confusion, but his words had been lost beneath the kiss, and had become nothing more than a garbled noise of surprised. There was no point in attempting to understand the strange nature of the happiness that had taken over Chase, it seemed. With this thought in mind, he allowed himself to fold his arms around her midsection in reply to her affection, and to forget of the thoughts that had once held his attention.

“OK. Brilliant!” Calvin replied, true to his nature. He smiled widely, and brought several gentle fingertips to Chase’s cheek. A laugh tore through his bruising chest and leapt from his tongue, if only to relieve him of the tension that had begun to build up within him during his wait for Chase's answer. “Aha! Thank you, Chase!” he added, and swept away the tears that had gathered beneath her twinkling eyes, which he felt compelled to gaze into once more.

Chase felt his arms wrap around her waist, and she half fell on top of him so that she was laying over his body, his lips on his, her smile so large she didn't know what else to do. She just stared at him, the kiss was over, but she could feel her lips still tingling. "It's going to be alright now isn't it Calvin." She said, not exactly asking a question, more just stating that she knew it would be. "Katie will have a father again..." She looked at him and grinned. "A very best friend more like it.." She said and closed her eyes against his hand as it brushed her tears off. She couldn't help but move her hand to touch his hand, keeping his hand on her cheek as she opened her eyes to gaze into his own.

"Calvin.. I will do right by you.. I swear I will.. we'll be happy.. and live together forever... I'll get better.... I'll gain back my weight.. and take care of Katie.. and.. and.. we'll love each other okay? We will." She rested her forehead against his and kissed his nose softly, giggling. It was such an odd feeling. She felt as though to anyone else, Calvin was like the little boy they wanted to take care of, but to Chase... Calvin was Calvin, there was no little boy, it was just how he viewed the world. He was clueless, and adorable, and many people found it odd that she kissed him as she did, as though he shouldn't be kissed. But... Chase just, showed her affection that way, she loved to show people that she cared, and she REALLY cared for Calvin, no.. she loved him. And she wished there was a stronger word to describe it, because love just seemed to short, so simple, for the emotions that were inside her at this moment, emotions that kept flying back to the ring on her finger, to the fact that she was going to marry Calvin S. Ransom, and she was going to be happy..

Forever.