Morning Coffee

Just a cute little thing that I decided to put together!

Even though Deception ended on a bad note, there was still a year of good memories that Chris and Sal shared together, especially since for the first time in a long time, Chris could just live a normal life free of fighting for a little while. He was able to spend time in his home, and for the first time in a long time, he was no longer alone. 

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"What are you thinking about?" 

The question caught him off guard. He was staring, eyes unfocused on her as she gleamed in the sun rising in the East. 

"Sorry?

"You've been on autopilot for the last ten minutes!" She chuckled, reaching one hand across the table and placing it on his. "What's on your mind, love?" 

He let her hand sit on his. She could feel her warmth as her thumb stroked across his wrist. Everything was perfect. The sky was just the right shade of orange - the coffee was brewed excellently and the smell of Earth-grown beans woke him up even at a simple breath. Her eyes glittered just right, and her smile was just crooked enough that it broke the facade, making her even more beautiful to look at. He was in his home, in his city, with her. 

"I've been thinking." 
    
She cocked her head, interested. A lock of red hair swung. "About what?" 

"Just how happy I am to be home." He said with a weak smile. "It's been a while since we've been here." 

He could remember exactly when they had been here last - almost three years ago. For three years they had been off on an adventure filled with chaos, sadness, and discovery, but now they were back, and he wanted them to stay. She had reached across with her left hand to grab his right. A simple band of gold was around her ring finger. He had proposed to her only in the last month - when they had gotten back. They had thought that they would never get home - never see both their worlds again, but through miracles, through bravery, and through the effort of hundreds of people in the same danger, they were back. 

"You look like you have more to say." She said, leaning in a bit forward. "Spit it out, Human." 

"I'm happy that I can just live." 

He had been discharged. His time to sacrifice was over. He could be his own man now. He could do whatever he wanted. The military would pay him benefits for his service. He could retire right now! At twenty-five! Such a thing was unheard of! She was right behind him at twenty-four, and they never stopped joking about who was the one really in charge - a joke they had come up with serving together. 

"You deserve to live." She said, bringing her right hand and placing on his as well. "You can breathe now, love! You've won!" 

Won. That was something he liked to hear, but not something that he could say deserved to be said many times in his short but very intense career. Today though, when she said it, it meant something to him. 

"Sal, I wanted to tell you something that I've been thinking of." 

"What's that?" 

"I'm going to try to use my degree. I think I'm going to take the bar exam like my parents wanted me to." 

Her eyes brightened. "That's wonderful!" she leaned across the table and kissed him on the nose. She knew he had never gotten the chance to be a lawyer like his parents because of his war. "You'll be an excellent practitioner! You never know! Maybe you'll be a councilor!" 

"What, in the Kingdom? Let's focus on the State of New York first." he chuckled. "It's just a thought. I'm not going to do it right away. I want to relax a little first." 

Her head bobbed in a rapid nod. "Of course! Take your time!" she said. "It's just, I know how much you wanted to be like them! I read a story about Agnes... sorry, Marie, and how she represented small businesses in court! I think they would be so proud to hear that!" 

"I just think it's time to fight different battles. Not with bullets, but with law and truth." 

"My little Human's growing up!" She said beaming. 

"I thought this was growing up!" he said raising his left hand and showing the ring on it. 

"Oh please, you're still a child." she said with a laugh, but then her next words were genuine and heartfelt. "I'm proud of you." 

"I know." he said, looking down to the table. 

"You've got so many doors open." she said, now sounding like she was going to cry. "So many opportunities. You've got a second chance to be whatever you want to be! Lots of people never get that!" 

"Hey." he said, now taking her hand. "It's OK." 

"I know." Sally said quickly wiping her eyes. "I'm just proud of you." 

"Thank you for everything." he said. "I never would have gotten here without you." 

He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. "Thank you, my lovely queen." He held it to his mouth and said, "I just don't know what I'm going to do about this whole... princess thing. It's not like I can become king... or a prince... because... you know..."

"I'll deal with that." she said. "Everything can still work, no matter what. I'll do whatever it takes." 

"I know you will. I don't deserve you." 

"Yes you do." she smiled back. "Could I have my hand back, love?" 

"Of course, Highness." he looked down at her fingers. "That's a cool ring; who gave you that?" 

They laughed together as the sun rose over into the sky, turning it a lovely shade of blue.