"I was lost within the darkness, but then I found her..."

Fawn's POV

Hours later and the party was beginning to wind down. I'd say only a couple more hours and everyone will be heading home.

Most people that I could see from my place at the bar were either drunk or getting there from the bottomless free champagne that Tom supplied.

I giggled softly as I watched two grown men mock a slow dance together before bursting into laughter.

Then I turned to Al, and tilted my head at him slightly, "why aren't you out there? You love to dance," I commented, gaining his attention away from people watching.

He and I had previously been entertaining another group before he took me away to sit over here. It's odd he's not participating in the dancing, since it is one of his favorite things to do.

He laughed, "ah, darling, if I went out there, I'd want to go out there with you," he said, and I raised an eyebrow.

"Uh...then ask me?" I replied with a confused giggle.

To that suggestion he drew in a hiss and seemed to be contemplating his next words.

For a second I thought he was about to tell me I'm horrible at dancing and that's why he doesn't want to be out there with me.

"I don't want you to put too much stress on your body..." he said softly, "I realize that the baby is ok right now, and Edith hasn't seen any issues, but we're still working with something very fragile..."

Upon his true explanation, my eyes softened.

Oh, Al...

Reaching forward, I pressed my hand against his knee and gave it a gentle squeeze, "sweetheart, I don't want to keep you from having as much fun as possible. I know you're worried about me, but just trust me. I'll know if something is wrong, and I promise I will not over exert myself," I said.

He eyed me warily, turning towards me slightly.

After a moment of him silently observing me and my hopeful expression, he breathed out a soft laugh before standing up and straightening his suit.

Then he turned to me and bowed dramatically, offering his hand, "in that case...may I have this dance?" He purred, looking up at me through lowered eyelids.

I rolled my eyes, but couldn't hold back my laughter as I took his hand and slid off the stool, "you may," I replied in a posh accent.

He then began leading us to the "dance floor" that was actually just a foyer big enough to hold all 50 people that were here.

We wove through tipsy dance partners and avoided bumping into others.

Then we settled on a spot that was empty enough for us to move around, and he grabbed me by the waist and pulled me against his chest.

My heart fluttered, and I looked up at him with a blush settling over my face. He smirked down at me, lacing one hand with mine to then pull over my head and spin me.

I giggled, falling back into his chest as he twirled me around and moved my body to follow the dance. His touches, although confident, were beyond gentle.

As he was moving me, I was able to see everyone else through short blurs, and my eyes narrowed slightly.

It wasn't until I was flush against his chest again that I was able to ask.

"Hey, Al...I don't think I've seen you drink any champagne tonight...why's that?" I wondered. He loves alcohol, but in moderation of course. There's only a couple of times I've seen him really drunk, but usually he stops when he feels tipsy.

And that's rare, even. He'll have a whiskey every other day, but he never over-does it, and most of the time doesn't feel anything at all.

He said he just likes the taste.

I was held close to him for a second, our bodies swaying to the up-toned jazz swing music. There was that emotion behind his eyes again...that twinkle.

"Champagne is far too sweet, my dear," he said smoothly, "besides, I am driving the vehicle."

Well, I can't argue with that.

I shrugged, "oh, well, that's fair. I kind of forgot you drove, to be honest," I giggled, and he laughed out loud before spinning me suddenly and pulling me back into his chest.

Except this time, my back was to his front, and he wrapped his arms around my chest securely and got close to my ear.

"Plus, you know how I can be if I get too much alcohol in my system..." he purred deeply.

Heat flooded my face, and I smiled.

"Oh, I know," I replied, and then broke away from him to face him again.

So far our movements haven't exactly been on time with the music. I can tell he's being easy with me as if I'm so pregnant I'll pop any second.

Taking his hands, I tugged him down towards me and got by his ear.

"You're being so gentle with me, baby. Why don't you pick up the speed, you know I like it rough," I whispered in his ear, followed by my fingers running through the back of his hair.

I knew I'd gotten my payback when his grip tightened on my waist and he stood back up quickly.

His face was flushed as he looked down at me, giving me a look that basically just said "watch yourself".

There was a smirk on my face, and I knew he was getting hot and bothered under that suit of his. A sentence like that would've gotten me bent over the nearest surface had we been alone.

Then he took me completely off guard when he suddenly started moving in time with the music. He was still leading, and being careful with my body, but I still felt like a rag doll being tossed around in his arms.

I couldn't help but laugh, throwing my head back and enjoying this.

The laughter, music, and chatter all muddled into one big culmination of noise, and song after song played, letting us dance to our heart's content.

It wasn't until about the fifth dance that I started to feel a bit tired. My chest heaved as I caught my breath, and I smiled up at my dance partner.

He was perfectly fine, looking down  at me with fond eyes.

He opened his mouth to say something, but then slow music began to seep through the room. The movement around us seemed to stop as people adjusted to the new rhythm.

Soon, we were surrounded by partners clung together in a sweet slow dance.

Still smiling, I stepped forward and put my arms around his shoulders. He followed my lead, taking me by the waist before beginning to sway us gently side to side.

The music was very soft and sweet, and I felt safe wrapped up in his arms.

I laid my head against his shoulder , breathing in his scent deeply. He smells very nice, like aftershave and and spice. I could tell he'd gotten a new cologne, or maybe was wearing one he doesn't wear often.

"I love you..." I whispered softly, the words just feeling natural at this point.

"I love you, too..." he said back just as quietly, pressing a kiss into the side of my head.

The song faded out, and I pulled away to look up at him. He smiled at me, his expression gentle.

Then his eyes lifted to something behind me very briefly. It was so subtle I may have no noticed had we not been making direct eye contact moments before.

A second later he stepped away from me with a toothy smile, "I must use the restroom, my dear, please wait and I'll be right back," he said.

I blinked in mild surprise, but quickly shook it off and nodded, "alright, don't be long," I said with a smile.

He chuckled and slipped past me. I watched him until I could no longer see him, then I nearly jumped out of my skin when I felt a tug against my hand.

Looking down I saw Niffty at my side, and I quirked an eyebrow.

"Niff? Shouldn't you be with Tom?" I asked curiously, and she shrugged.

"I just needed some gal pal time! How about you and I go somewhere quieter so we can talk," she suggested.

I glanced off to where Al had went, and then back to her. Shrugging, I began to follow her through the crowd.

We ended up in the kitchen, which was quite large, and she sighed softly.

"Good heavens, that's a lot of people," she commented, leaning against the wall. I chuckled.

"Yea, it really is. Tom sure knows how to throw a party, that's for sure," I snorted softly, and she giggled.

She and I chatted for a second, but something was off.

It was almost like she was trying to distract me.

Before I could question her, she checked her pocket watch and her eyes widened, "oh, looks like it's time to head back to the party!" She chirped.

She then started ushering me towards the door quickly. We wound through the hallways, back towards the party, but I was confused when it was far quieter than it was when we left.

Finally we emerged back into the foyer and...it was empty.

Well, empty except for one person.

"Al?" I asked, looking around, "what is going on, where'd everyone go?" I asked, and then turned to look where Niffty went.

But even she was gone.

Ok, this is spooky.

My steps clicked softly as I approached him, and he held out his hand for me to take. I did, still a bit confused, but he finally began to speak.

"It appears everyone else has left...it's just you and I," he said softly, "would you like one more dance before we go as well?"

I stared up at him, blinking slowly before I nodded and smiled, "sure...I didn't realize I'd been away so long with Niffty, I'm sorry if I worried you," I said with a small laugh.

He chuckled, "no, my dear, I wasn't worried."

I twirled and landed back into his arms before he pulled me close and began another slow dance. The soft music playing was far more romantic and slow than anything that had played before.

Looking down at me, he wore an expression that was so...vulnerable. He wasn't hiding behind some stoic wall, he wasn't shielding himself, and I could see every single emotion he had swimming behind those pretty brown eyes.

For some reason, my heart began to beat faster.

"My love..." he started softly, "have I told you recently jut how much I love you?"

I was blushing, and I nodded, "you tell me every day, Al..." I replied just as soft.

He chuckled lightly, squeezing me gently before he let out a small sigh.

"Well, I'm starting to feel as if words cannot possibly express it properly...how much I love you. How much you mean to me. Every day with you is worth a thousand hours. The time I spend with you are moments I cherish and will cherish until I die...and after I am gone. With all of my heart...I want to be with you forever, darling."

At this point, my heart is in my throat and I already have tears pooling in my eyes. He caught the first one as soon as it fell, his expression never changing.

"Fawn..." he said my name softly, and then I couldn't hold them back anymore when he slid down onto one knee, gathering my hands together before he kissed them both.

When he let go of one hand to reach into his jacket, it immediately went over my mouth to stifle the sob that left my throat.

Tears flooded down my face quickly, and I sniffled to try and stop them at least a little bit.

He pulled out a tiny velvet box, and looked up at me tenderly.

"Will you marry me, my love?"

Just by the way he asked the question, I knew he was serious. This feels like a dream, but I know it's real. I could smell him, I could hear him, I could feel him...this is so real.

He opened the box to present the ring, but I didn't even look at it before I nodded my head frantically.

"Yes," I sobbed, "yes, of course I'll marry you!" I said before falling to the floor with him and throwing my arms around his neck.

We nearly fell over, and his free arm wrapped around my waist tightly to keep us steady. He hugged me like that, and buried his face into my hair.

"I'd walk through hell for you." He whispered, and then stood up quickly with me still wrapped in his arm.

"She said yes!" He announced to the seemingly empty room, which then promptly erupted in  applause as people began spilling out of hiding spots and rooms.

I gasped softly, looking around at all the smiling faces and then back to Alastor.

He hid them so that I would feel more comfortable with the public proposal...

A big smile broke out across my face and I didn't even care that there were people watching as I grabbed him and pulled him down into a deep kiss.

He made a surprised noise, but melted into me and then stood up straight, picking me up off my feet.

"Merry Christmas, darling..." he said quietly, looking into my eyes, "you are my pride and joy."

I sniffled and laughed, then looked down at the little box in his hand finally.

Sitting on a small cushion was a beautiful diamond ring, and I gasped softly.

"Oh wow..." I breathed, and then held out my left hand for him.

The room went silent again as he slid it onto my finger, and it was the perfect fit. I pulled my hand up into the light to admire it, and everyone began clapping again.

The rest of the night was filled with congratulations and women asking to look at the diamond.

I can't remember the last time I've had a Christmas Eve as memorable as this...