A/N: As usual, I would recommend putting the video on loop.

Thumbs wiped away tears gently, and Ren continued to smile as her light blue optics remained on his green-hazel ones. She searched his eyes as his words met her ears. "... Always," she repeated quietly, and he kept up his smile.

"Always if you'll let me."

Something seemed to click in her mind as the words resonated more. Her brows furrowed between tears, and Ren slowly started to pull back from her. His hands fell from her cheeks and landed gently upon her own hands. He gripped and squeezed them lightly. She couldn't adjust herself too well due to her injury, but her attention was fully focused on him. He moved himself some so that she wouldn't have to shift around on the bed too much. "So, will you let me?"

Somehow through her fading sobs and the tears still trickling down her cheeks, she managed to release a quiet laugh. It seemed to echo around the room, and it made his heart feel all the lighter to hear such a gorgeous sound from her despite all of the turmoil they had gone through recently. "Only if you tell me more about this 'always.'" A playful grin tried to fall upon her lips, but it ended up being a small smile; however, some brightness was returning to her eyes, and he squeezed her hands just a little bit more out of happiness.

Even if it just was a brief moment in time, he wished to distract her from the dread-inducing future, and he hoped that as the days passed, he might be able to show her the positives of their situation. She already acknowledged that they still were breathing, that they had made it out of the subway, but he desired to give her more reasons for breathing, more joyful moments so that the hurt of it all wouldn't consume her.

"Well ..." He trailed off as his eyes scanned around the room until they fell upon her laptop case. Ren, almost reluctantly, let go of her hands, but he had something worthwhile to show her. "Let me show you." She raised a brow as curiosity and hope filled her gaze, but he was off of the bed before he could notice. Reaching her bag by the bookshelf, he lifted it up into his hands and headed back over to the bed.

Seating himself down again, he gently set the object on her lap. "I might've made some modifications." She quirked a brow before she stared down and unzipped the case. Ren tried to keep a less eager expression upon his countenance, but his heart was racing as her right fingers reached into the bag and were met with paper and metal. Chris knew that she hadn't put the two items in there.

Rarely, did she add anything to her case except her laptop and charger, but she wasn't too surprised at the same time since she had been expecting something to be in there that was new.

Slowly, she removed the two items. Her brows furrowed again when she saw wiring wrap around rolled pieces of paper. "Remove it," he instructed as he attempted to keep himself from bouncing in anticipation. Doing as he asked, she took off the metal wiring, glad that it wasn't electrical cables. A shiver traveled up her spine at the thought of those even if she barely had seen them in use. Just a few seconds had been enough.

Forcing her mind to forget the subway, she unrolled the pieces of paper as something else fell out onto her lap. Barely, she glanced at the papers, but she had noted them to be the documents on Castle Lake Amusement Park ... their first case they solved together. A smile touched her lips, and her eyes steadily shifted down towards her lap.

Even if a small part of her had made a correct guess about what he had been up to, it remained a shock to see it physically there. Her eyes widened, and her smile grew as she felt her tears trail down her cheeks again. "R-R-Ren ... I ..." Nearly, her breath got caught in her throat.

Worried about her tears, he leaned forward and kept his eyes on her. "... Is it too soon?" he hesitantly asked as though he had made a vital mistake. Almost, his right hand reached forward as if to grab the metal item and hide it away. "I know that it hasn't even been a year, but ..." He stopped when her arms wrapped around him tightly.

Momentarily, he blinked as though her hug was a figment of his imagination. He looked down to her and saw her face cuddled into his chest. A soft smile fell upon his lips. Her fingers dug into his back, and he winced due to Callest's attacks on him earlier, but he didn't say a word. Instead, he hugged her back, his right hand on her back and his left on the back of her head. Again, his shirt received more stains, but that didn't bother him in the slightest.

"Thank you, Flo." Her voice was muffled by his shirt, but he still heard her. Even though the name wasn't his favorite, only she ever called him that, and it made him smile all the more.

"You're welcome." Ren released a small chuckle. "Should I ask the question?" A chuckle of her own was her response, and the sound made his heart skip a beat. "Christina Marlum, will you marry me?"

Against him, he felt a slight nod until she pulled her head back. Remnants of tears decorated her cheeks, but he found her still as beautiful as before. In fact, the smile that greeted her lips when their eyes met nearly caused his heart to forget to beat. "Yes, I will." His eyes smiled with him, and her hands reached out to his pullover. They gripped the fabric lightly before she tugged on it harder.

Ren didn't stop her. Rather, he allowed her to lean up, but he was watching her leg to make sure that she didn't put it into an uncomfortable position. Soon, though, her lips met his, and his arms wrapped around her again to support her better against him. He didn't know for how long they shared that kiss, but it made the butterflies in his stomach multiply, and he felt as though he would float into the air.

When they pulled away, she rubbed her cheeks and did her best to seem as though she never had been crying. She picked up the metal wiring as a joke and slipped it onto her left ring finger. "It's certainly creative," she teased, winking at him a little bit, but he mainly was glad to see that she had her smile back and that her mind was elsewhere than Callest and Ether.

Rolling his eyes somewhat, he picked up the sterling silver ring and held out his right hand. A softer smile overtook her lips, and she slipped the wiring off before she placed her left hand on his right. Her own heart rate increased, but her entire being was overfilled with jubilation. Ren slid the ring on her left ring finger, and his hand stayed over hers even after the ring was on.

In his own eyes, a few tears began to form. She stared straight into his optics. "Ren," she muttered as both of his hands wrapped around her left one. When he didn't respond, she smiled gently and leaned her head against his chest again. A few droplets of water fell upon her light brown locks, but she stayed, happy to be with him.

"Thank you, Chris. Thank you. I was worried ... I was worried that ..."

Cutting him off, she slid her hand from his, and she wrapped both of her arms around his shoulders. Just barely, she could see the ring peek over his left shoulder. The single diamond, cut into a star, shone under the pale morning light coming in through the curtains, but her eyes soon landed on him and only him. Even if he hadn't given her a ring, she would've been ecstatic. His promise to be with her always was enough, especially after the incident in the subway. That subway made her realize all the more how he never wanted to let him go or any of her friends either.

"I wouldn't have rejected you," she whispered, placing a light kiss on his left cheek. She smiled against his skin. "You're too important to me." He leaned against her and settled his arms around her waist. Moving her head to rest against his shoulder, she asked, "Should we get some more rest?" Memories of everything began to enter her mind like before, especially since she felt another one of his tears grace the top of her head. "... I just want to hold you for awhile."

"Not more than awhile?" he joked as he pulled away from her a little bit.

Playfully, she hit his upper right arm. "Okay, more than awhile. For as long as we can before one of us needs to get up." She raised a brow and crossed her arms as she fought against the urge to cry again.

"Better?"

Laughing lightly, he nodded. "Better." Ren faced away from her a little bit and pulled the brown blanket out from under him before he draped it over the both of them. He helped Chris get into a more comfortable position before he lied down next to her. His body situated itself on its left side as she rested on her right side a little bit.

She did her best to curl up beside him, and she managed to tuck her head into him so that it was lying on his chest to a degree. His right and her left hand intertwined under the covers as their legs wrapped around the others. A quiet, content sigh parted from Chris as a few tears still left her eyes, but they were from happiness and comfort. Now before she slipped into unconsciousness, she had someone there with her, someone that always would be there for her: her dearest friend, lover and now future husband. Against her forehead, she felt a soft texture greet her skin, and she smiled before she fell asleep against him. Ren, glad that she was peacefully resting, watched over her a little longer until he fell asleep too.