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Date Posted: 09:06:59 03/25/03 Tue
Author: dqfan
Subject: Re: A Journey Home - ch. 14
In reply to: dqfan 's message, "Re: A Journey Home - ch. 13" on 03:40:26 03/25/03 Tue

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

As soon as he entered the bath, Peter felt his muscles cramp in vise-like pain, the heat nearly agonizing in its intensity. After a few minutes, though, the therapeutic warmth reached deep into his body and he gingerly leaned back, allowing himself to relax.

"Bath okay?" Sophie asked, happily decorating the tree with her meager supply of red ribbons.

"Mmmmm," was Peter's only reply.

"I'll take that as a yes," Sophie laughed. "Not falling asleep or anything, are you?" she teased.

Luckily, Peter's eyes were screened from Sophie's view for his eyelids were, indeed, beginning to droop. At the sound of her laughter, though, he forced himself awake.

"Umm…what? No! Of course not!" he lied, shaking his head and splashing some water on his face.

Quickly, Peter finished bathing and dressed in the clothes Sophie had set out for him. The pants fit perfectly and he comfortably tucked the white shirttails into them, hoping he looked all right. At the sight of the vest, though, Peter blanched, and approached the garment warily.

"Soph, about this vest…?" he yelled over the screen.

Sophie smiled, secretly pleased that she'd anticipated his reaction so accurately. "You don't have to…" she acquiesced soothingly.

Gratefully, Peter emerged from behind the screen.

"Well, look at you, Mountain Man," Sophie exclaimed, walking toward him.

"Verrry nice," she complimented, running her hand along the collar of his shirt, lightly grazing Peter's neck as she did so.

"Sure you're not thinking of Gramps," Peter chuckled, taunting Sophie over her previous crush on Sully.

"Not a chance," Sophie replied honestly, the fire of that brief infatuation doused quite effectively by her rather antagonistic encounter with Sully…or her vision of Sully…or the ghost of Sully, or…

Well, whatever he was, he couldn't hold a candle to Peter. Of that, Sophie was certain. Willingly, she set about proving it with a lingering kiss that left Peter undeniably sure of her feelings.

Still, when they finally broke apart, Sophie nervously avoided Peter's gaze.
"So, what do you think of the tree?" she asked. "I didn't have many ribbons…"

"Looks great," Peter answered cheerfully. Then eyeing a bowl of popcorn on the table, he wondered, "But, why didn't you use the popcorn?"

"I'm afraid that's our dinner," Sophie sighed, pointing to the bowl she'd popped earlier in the evening. "We're running out of food."

Sophie's announcement didn't seem to bother Peter.

"What? The WALPOCS crumpet supply running low?" he chuckled, picturing the ladies and their teas.

"No, there're still a few scones left," she smiled, pointedly emphasizing the word "scones" to Peter's continued amusement. "But, I was saving those for breakfast tomorrow."

"Whattya say we use the popcorn for decorating," he suggested, moving toward his backpack, "and for dinner…" he continued, searching inside the bag, "we'll have…PowerBars!"

"PowerBars…" Sophie repeated dryly.

Delving into his backpack for the bars, Peter discovered his Christmas present for Sophie, colorfully wrapped and remarkably unscathed from their harrowing ordeal. Surreptitiously, he folded the gift into his hand and placed it in his pants pocket, unseen by Sophie.

"Yup, PowerBars, my last two," he reported triumphantly.

"Chocolate or Raisin?" he asked, reading the labels, though he was certain Sophie would pick chocolate, considering her sweet tooth.

Sophie didn't hesitate. "Raisin," she replied confidently, prepared to go to any lengths to pamper Peter tonight - even if it meant eating raisins.

"Really?" Peter questioned suspiciously before taking a bite.

"Really!" Sophie insisted, munching the raisin bar with all the enthusiasm she could muster. "Now, let's decorate!"

As Peter enjoyed his chocolate bar, Sophie found a needle and thread and began roping the popcorn into strands. Soon, she was humming Christmas carols and watching contentedly as Peter twirled each strand around their diminutive tree.

The red ribbons accented the popcorn quite festively and Sophie was sincerely impressed. "It's beautiful, Peter," she sighed.

Peter took a step back and smiled. Suddenly, his mind flashed to the rather gaudy tree in the Broadmoor lobby, and his preference for a tree decorated simply with popcorn. It seemed he had gotten his wish after all. Indeed, everything about this Christmas was better than he had planned or even dreamed. He and Sophie were safe, happy and together. Nothing else mattered in the least.

Stealthily, Peter slipped Sophie's present beneath the tree.

"Yeah, I knew it was a special tree," he agreed with a satisfied grin.

"Look, it even came with a present." Peter's eyes twinkled excitedly, urging Sophie to look under the tree.

"Peter, what have you done?" she exclaimed. Then, pondering their last few tumultuous days together, she was even more perplexed, "How did you…?"

"I didn't do anything," Peter shrugged innocently. "It's the tree. I told you it was special."

"But I didn't…" Sophie lamented her empty-handedness.

"Oh, yes you did," Peter reassured her. "You gave me Christmas, Soph. It wouldn't be Christmas without you in my life," he whispered with love.

Then, lightening the mood, Peter acknowledged her poorly hidden sacrifice by adding with a wink, "and…you gave me the chocolate bar."

Sophie smirked, amused by his remark. Normally, she would have been annoyed that Peter found her actions so transparent but she just couldn't get her mind off the small box beneath the tree.

"You wanna open it now or wait until morning," Peter asked, positive of her answer.

"Now!" Sophie nodded.

Gleefully, she grabbed her present and tugged at Peter's hand, bringing him to sit with her on the floor by the hearth. As they did so, Sophie felt her temperature rising, irrespective of the roaring fire. Peter was staring deeply into her eyes now, encouraging her with his gaze to open the mysterious box. Sophie's fingers were poised above the ribbon when their eyes locked; and, for a split second her old anxieties bubbled within her and she wondered whether maybe she shouldn't open it at all.

"Follow your heart…" she heard the voice deep within her again and she calmed slightly, her confidence returning.

Purposefully, Sophie unwrapped the gift, lifting the lid so slowly Peter wondered briefly whether she thought it might explode.

"Peter…" Sophie gasped on sight. "It's…"

There, resting quite harmlessly inside the velvet case was a flawless, square-cut emerald ring, brilliantly surrounded by tiny diamond clusters at each corner.

"I know a diamond would've been more traditional, but when have we ever been traditional," Peter flustered, concerned by Sophie's silence.

"Besides, you did tell me green was your favorite," Peter cajoled, running his hand tantalizingly up and down the sleeve of her green dress, hoping for a reaction.

Realizing he'd better just continue, Peter knelt solemnly before her. "Sophie Becker, will you marry me?"

Sophie had been speechless since she first saw the ring. She was pretty sure she'd been holding her breath all that time, too. She'd never seen anything so exquisite, so perfect. Perfect because it came from Peter, with all his heart and with all his love. She heard his question and, finding her voice, she answered softly, "yes."

Peter's heart leapt but his head allowed only a weak smile to form on his lips. God, how he wanted to believe her! He wanted to slip that ring on her finger and take her in his arms and never let go. But, Sophie had let him down before, disappeared on him before. He couldn't take that pain again. He'd rather she just left him now.

Sophie felt Peter pull away slightly, hesitation in his eyes. Vividly, she saw the hurt that only she was responsible for, and seeing it, a tear trickled silently down her cheek.

Quietly, Peter took her hands in his. He had to know. He had to ask.

"Soph," he whispered, "do you mean yes for now…or yes for ever?"

The question stabbed her heart, reminding her of the first time she'd rejected his marriage proposal. She couldn't blame Peter for doubting her now. It seemed all she ever did was reject him, run from his love. She'd hurt him so much this past year. He didn't deserve it. And even though his question stung, he had a legitimate right to ask - a right to be sure. Sophie took a deep breath, needing to be sure herself, more sure than she'd ever been of anything in her life - and now she was.

Gently she cupped her palm against his cheek and gazed directly into his eyes, into his soul. Commanding his attention, she replied strongly, "Yes…for ever."

With a relieved sigh and a bright smile, Peter turned his head to kiss the palm of her hand. Then, taking her left hand in his, Peter slid the engagement ring on Sophie's finger, making it official.

"Nice of you to wear green to match it," he observed with a wink as Sophie rested her hand upon her skirt.

"I love you, Peter," Sophie breathed, wrapping her arms tightly around Peter's neck and kissing him softly on the lips.

"I love you, too, Sophie," Peter answered, his hands at Sophie's waist, warmly welcoming her advances.

As their kiss deepened, Sophie rose to her knees to meet him, passionately moving her hands from his neck to his shoulders. Applying gentle pressure, she began leaning the weight of her body aggressively into his.

"Oww," Peter winced reflexively, his aching shoulders betraying him.

"Peter, what's wrong?" Sophie asked, immediately concerned. "Did I hurt you?

"Nothing…it's nothing…" he mumbled, unwilling to break their kiss.

"Peter…?" she repeated, unconvinced by his lips, warm on her neck.

"Peter's just a sore boy, that's all…" he breathed, traveling lower.

"Then Peter needs a massage," Sophie offered, placing her hands against his cheeks and forcing him to look up at her.

"No, Soph, really, I'm okay," he tried to reassure her.

"But you'll be better after a massage," she tempted. "Now, turn around…"

Begrudgingly, Peter obeyed, knowing better than to argue with her. Settling himself between the billowy folds of her dress, Peter leaned back against her chest. As a relaxed sigh escaped him, Sophie chuckled. "I haven't even started yet…"

Tentatively, she began to lightly massage his shoulders, fearful of applying too much pressure too quickly. Slowly she kneaded the sore tissue, hoping she wasn't hurting him.

"Is that too deep?" she worried.

"Heaven…" he whispered softly, leaning further back into her embrace.

"I'm glad," she smiled, her hands venturing down his biceps.

Sophie's massage continued working its magic, with Peter occasionally murmuring his appreciation. Sophie was happy to have this quiet time together. There were a few things she wanted to say and somehow, not having to face Peter while she said them made it so much easier.

"Peter," she began hesitantly. "I want to tell you…how sorry I am. Sorry that I left…sorry that I climbed Pike's Peak…sorry that I didn't trust our love. It is as strong as Michaela and Sully's, Peter. I know that now. I know that we can overcome the hardships, just like they did. And I know we can love as deeply as they did."

As Sophie spoke, she could feel the burden of her doubts and insecurities lifting. Her heart at last was completely open. There was only one thing left to say.

Halting the massage, Sophie whispered close to Peter's ear in a voice filled with desire, "I want to love you, Peter…"

Tenderly, she caressed his chin, hoping to turn his lips towards hers, when, suddenly, a heavy sigh escaped her, followed by a low chuckle. Her timing was, as usual, impeccable. Sophie's tender massage and loving words had comforted Peter all too well and he had fallen peacefully, and quite soundly, asleep.

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