Sorry daddy, I've been bad— I mean, forgive me father, for I have sinned.

Fawn's POV

I was humming a soft tune as I finished packing together a surprise picnic basket.

The simple foods I'd made were all fresh, easy recipes that didn't require me to actually attempt cooking.

Little sandwiches...fruit salad...fresh vegetables, like carrots and celery...

I feel like a picnic is the perfect lazy Sunday activity.

Al and I have been busy all day, doing chores around the house. It's about mid afternoon right now...

Neither of us have eaten lunch yet, and I was starting to get hungry. After I finished the laundry, I was putting the linen away in the closet when I came across this adorable picnic basket.

And that leads us to now.

I carefully covered everything inside with a bread cloth, stepping back to admire my work.

Glancing towards the kitchen window, I went over and peeked outside.

Alastor was a good distance away, chopping wood.

He lifted the axe, bringing it over his head effortlessly before driving it down and splitting the log perfectly in half.

The motion was oddly attractive, and of course it didn't help that he was shirtless.

Quickly, I wiped my hands on a towel before excitedly hurrying outside to pull him away from his afternoon chores so he can come spend time with me.

For a fall day, it was rather warm, so I chose to wear the skirt mama Edith made for me. The light material was breathable, letting the gentle breeze kiss my legs. My hair was tied up with a white ribbon, a few stubborn pieces having fallen out, framing my face.

The grass tickled my feet as I trotted over to where he was stationed. He noticed me early, shooting me a quick smile before driving the axe into another unsuspecting piece of wood.

"Hello, pretty lady," Al greeted me, a bit breathless from the strenuous activity he was doing.

His torso was shiny with sweat, and I couldn't help but let my eyes wonder before I returned his smile.

"Hello, handsome," I purred back, stopping just next to him.

He picked the axe up with one hand before wedging it into the large stump he was using as a base, turning to face me fully.

"You're looking all dolled up, what's the occasion?" he teased me, and I smoothed down my skirt as I smiled up at him excitedly.

"It's a surprise!" I said, "could you maybe take a break for a second...?" I asked, looking at him hopefully.

He put his finger to his chin, looking up in thought, "hmm...I don't know...I might be able to if..."

"If...?" I pressed, tilting my head.

"If I can have a kiss," he said, lowering his eyelids and leaning down to my height.

I rolled my eyes, giggling softly as I closed the space between us, giving him a peck on the lips.

His smile widened and he joined my side as I began walking back towards the house.

"So, my love...you're dressed all pretty, you look rather excited, and you're practically dragging me back to the house...what exactly have you planned?" He mused, and I took him by the hand, pulling him faster.

"You'll see!" I chirped, "when you get in, go rinse off in the shower while I get everything ready."

"As you wish," he replied, chuckling softly.

We got into the house and I ushered him upstairs, "when you're finished, I'll be waiting on the front porch!" I called to him unable to contain my smile as I watched him ascend the stairs.

"Alrighty, dear," he called back, his voice fading the further he got from me. Once he was out of sight, I quickly went and grabbed a blanket, then got the picnic basket from the kitchen.

I made one last check to be positive I wasn't forgetting anything before I slipped back outside and onto the front porch to wait.

Once I was out, I drew in a deep breath. The air was nice and fresh, giving me a little boost of energy.

Looking out over the clearing that Alastor's house sits in the center of, I took in the beautiful forest that surrounds his property.

It really is gorgeous out here.

Listening to the distant sound of birdsong, accompanied by a few bugs calling out, I felt at peace.

Sometimes I have to remind myself that this is my life now...it seems unreal.

It shouldn't be real.

But I'm so happy that it is...I never thought I'd be so happy when just a couple of months ago I was sure my life was going to end at the very hands of the man I stand here waiting for.

Funny...the way love works...

The sound of the door opening caught my attention and I turned to face him, my smile perking up at his choice of outfit.

I suppose he took note of my semi-casual clothing, seeing as he was wearing a thin, light crème colored dress shirt.

This was accompanied by regular black slacks.

The moment he saw what was in my hands, the casual grin on his face widened.

"A picnic? Oh, darling, you didn't have to go through all the trouble..." he said, coming up to me.

I blushed slightly, "you've just been outside working all day...we didn't have time to sit down and eat lunch, so I made a few things to share with you," I said sheepishly.

Gently he removed the basket from my hands, moving it to one of his before occupying his free hand with one of mine, lacing our fingers together.

I was still looking up at him, analyzing his face to see if he liked the surprise when he leaned down and kissed me sweetly.

"How did I ever get so lucky..." he whispered when we parted, and my chest swelled slightly.

From there he and I began to walk, searching for a place where we could sit down and enjoy our afternoon.

There was a comfortable silence between us, both of us soaking up the tranquility of the nature around us.

After a certain point, he had taken just a few too many turns that I wasn't familiar with, and I was unsure of where we were even going.

Before I could ask, he spoke up to answer the thoughts I was having, "I know the perfect place, it's not too much further," he said.

The foliage began to grow thicker, as if no one has walked this path in a while. Carefully I gathered up my skirt, not wanting to snag the fabric.

We came up to two large oak trees that were side by side, their roots creating a sort of half wall that was blocking the path. There was no way around them due to thick, dense brush being on either side of us.

I turned to look at Al, and my eyes widened when suddenly I was holding the picnic basket, "hold this a moment, my darling," he hummed.

Then he slipped his hands under my arms, picking me up off the ground and lifting me over the tree roots.

Once I was on the other side, he followed suit, promptly plucking the basket out of my hands once he'd successfully cleared the roadblock.

"I used to come here as a boy...exploring these woods and learning her secrets," he said, sounding reminiscent, "but this spot...this one always was my favorite."

I stared up at him curiously, then I turned to face the area that the tree-doorway opened up to.

My eyes widened and my mouth fell open slightly.

What looked to be some sort of pond was a little bit aways from us...surrounded by natural rock formations that lead up to a waterfall.

Around the pond was lush, green grass full of tiny white wildflowers.

I could hardly choose one thing to focus on...from the beautiful scenery, to the sounds...

"Alastor...this place is gorgeous," I breathed, walking a bit further.

He chuckled, "yes, I think so too...for a long, long time I thought I'd never see something quite as beautiful..."

I felt him touch my cheek, turning my face towards him, "until I met you...I want you to know that what you're feeling right now is how I feel every single time I look at you..."

My face heated up and I smiled.

"Aww stop it, I'm gonna cry..." I giggled, hiding my face from him.

He placed the picnic basket down, then reached forward, taking me by the waist.

I gasped when he spun me unexpectedly, twirling me around before pulling me flush against him and kissing me passionately.

My eyes fell shut and I wrapped my arms up around his neck.

Once we parted, I opened my eyes to see him smiling down at me.

"God, I love you so much..." he said softly, making my heart melt.

"I love you, too," I replied.

With that out of the way, we set up our picnic area. There was a soft spot of clover that was at a perfect place close to the pond.

He started unpacking the basket I'd prepared. Genuinely, I hoped I'd made things he would eat. Normally he makes the food, so I'm embarrassed to say that I'm not to familiar with a lot of the recipes I used to know.

Once everything was laid out, he hummed as he looked over all of it, "my, dear, you got busy while I was distracted...all of this for me?"

Those words eased my nerves, and I relaxed slightly, "I just knew you'd probably be hungry...I was hungry, so I can only imagine how you feel after all that manual labor," I said, squeezing his bicep teasingly.

Although, his arm does feel very muscular.

He chuckled, "well, you'd be correct...in fact, I was just about to come ask if you'd like me to make some lunch...but this is much better than anything I'd have come up with," he said.

I scoffed, "we both know that's not true...I wish I could cook like you," I said, grabbing one of the little sandwiches I made.

He leaned over and kissed my cheek, grabbing his own sandwich, "this is lovely, darling...absolutely perfect," he said softly, and I smiled.

"Thanks...I'm glad you like it."

The rest of the afternoon was full of casual conversation, both of us telling stories about our life.

We sat together on the blanket long after all the food had been eaten, snuggled up together and watching the clouds pass by.

The conversation had faded, in its place the calm sounds of the forest surrounding us. Alastor was gently tracing shapes into my arm, and I was rested against his chest.

My eyes started to feel heavy, the added factor of a full stomach not helping with the tiredness I was beginning to feel.

Just as I thought I'd doze off, a very sudden and loud boom rang out through the forest. It seemed as if in that moment, every single animal ceased making noise, save for the flock of birds that fled a tree in fear.

I was now wide awake, looking over at Alastor.

"What was that...?" I asked him, a bit worried.

He didn't seem bothered though, continuing his gentle touch against my arm, "a hunter..." he hummed, "it's prime hunting season...in fact, I'm thinking about breaking out my gear soon. Don't worry, my dear...this is private land, and every hunter should be aware of that. They won't bother us," he said confidently.

My nerves eased, but he started to sit up, disturbing our comfortable position.

"However, I believe we should be heading back, anyway...wouldn't wanna fall asleep out here and wake up at nightfall!" He chuckled, making me giggle slightly.

He helped me up, and I gathered the blanket off the ground.

Then we started our way back to the house, hand in hand.