Forever Yours

**November 26, 2020. Somewhere outside of Halcyon City.**

“Fuck, it’s fucking cold!”

Ellen trudges through the already-up-to-her-shins snow, her hands jammed in her pockets and shoulders hunched up to her very red ears. Had it been snowing for days? Yes. Was it nearly December? Also yes. She doesn’t appreciate the temperature, nonetheless.

“Watch out, popsicle incoming!” Tay appears at her side, grabbing onto Ellen’s right arm. She grins at Ellen. Though she doesn’t feel it, she’s aware that she’s ice cold, her lack of body heat doing nothing to warm up her girlfriend who, on the other hand, feels to her like a kettle.

She shakes her head to dislodge the snowflakes and ice.

“Where are we going?”

Ellen stops in her tracks and does a quick 360° scan of the area. A field of undisturbed snow lies ahead of them, the lights of the city far behind, the night sky covered with thick clouds that haven’t stopped snowing. *Yup, no one for miles. Perfect.* “Here should do.” She shrugs the bag off her shoulders, unzipping it to produce a sleek but solid lantern. Simple, solid black handle and base carrying a plain translucent sphere made of… well, she wasn’t sure what it was made of, but it’s not the container that counts.

“‘Member how I told you about that ‘mission’ from a few weeks ago? Fancy party, fancy auction, space dragons?”

“Spagons, yes. I remember the spagons.” Tay looks at the lantern with interest. What could Ellen want with it, in the middle of nowhere?

“I picked this up at the auction! You know, saw something kinda nostalgic and… yeah. Anyway, figured it should be empty enough out here. You wanna do the honours?” Ellen offers the lantern to Tay, holding it like a bottle of fine wine. “You just gotta hold the base and twist the handle and then it’ll- yeah, you got it.”

There’s a \*click\* as the parts slide into place, and the glow starts up slowly, illuminating the two of them and the thick carpet of snow all around them. Only hints remain of their footsteps, the ever-falling snow already filling them back in.

As the glow brightens, the white light starts to move and shift, like it’s swimming across every surface it touches. Faint shades of blue and yellow and purple fade in and out of each other as far out across the ground as they can see. The light catches on falling snow, illuminating them like flecks of glitter. It’s as if the two of them are standing inside a snow globe, alone together in their own little world.

Tay’s mouth falls open as she looks up, an expression of pure awe and wonder lighting up her face. She holds up a grey hand to catch a snowflake, shining purple as it twirls down to land on her palm. *It’s like a galaxy,* she thinks, *but the stars are falling all around us, shining their last light.*

“...Wow,” is all she actually says. She’s stepped closer to Ellen, her left arm looped around her girlfriend’s waist, pressed against her side.

“Happy Anniversary, Katayoun.” Ellen’s voice is quiet for a change, not wanting to upset the silence too much. She watches the light from the lantern float across Tay’s awestruck face and her hand squeezes a little tighter around the box in her pocket. *Ehhh, that can wait a minute.*

She tilts her head to the sky and sticks out her tongue to catch crisp, falling snow, scrunching her face in mild disappointment when it doesn’t also *taste* like blue.

Tay chuckles as she catches this out of the corner of her eyes. The scrunched up face is the most adorable thing she’s ever seen, and she can’t help herself from trying to kiss the frown away.

She might not feel the cold, but she definitely feels the rush of warmth as their lips touch.

“Happy Anniversary, Ellen.”

*Minute’s done. Go! Now!*

Before she can say anything, Ellen’s hand is out of her pocket with the little box resting on her open palm. The tiny bow on top got a bit bent up in transit, but, again, it’s what’s inside that matters. Her eyes flit between Tay’s face and the box.

A face that, this time, is utterly frozen, simply staring at the ring in the box in shock. She looks for all the world like a statue, grey skin unmoving and unbreathing, a thin layer of snow even building on the tip of her nose.

Until she moves again, her eyes seeking Ellen’s.

“Uh. Are- are you proposing to me?”

*What is she talking abo- ohhhh, that is what this looks like, huh?*

“Is that a no?” Ellen’s fingers curl closed again and she pulls the box back in towards her pocket. Sweet warmth, or at least less cold, at last. “I mean, it doesn’t have to be, honestly. I mostly just wanted to make you something so we could match.”

“No! I mean, uh, yes!” Tay’s hands shoot out, grabbing Ellen’s hand before it can go back into the pocket. “I just- uh,” She stammers, looking for the words. Tears form in the corners of her eyes. “I’m sorry, I was just surprised, I…

“I never thought I would live long enough to do this.” Her voice cracks a bit, at that, but she smiles. “Yes.”

Ellen brings Tay in for a hug and wipes her tears with a thumb. “Sorry I made you wait so long.”

After holding her for a while, Ellen returns the ring to Tay, takes a step back, and holds out her hand palm up, staring expectantly.

Katayoun takes the box into her hands. Inside were two rings, made of two intertwining loops of metal, one dark and the other light. Each ended in a small stone, red and purple. They fit together perfectly.

She takes them out and holds them up to the light, marveling at the lantern’s colours reflecting in the metal, before gently twisting them apart.

She laughs. “Did you just give me a ring so that I could give it back to you?”

“Hey, just because you’re patient doesn’t mean *I* am.” Ellen laughs. “Plus, you only have to give me one if you want us to have matching rings, so really it’s up to you.” Her tone is nonchalant, but she continues to look at Tay as if the words “PICK ME” are written on her face.

“Good thing, then, that I *do* want us to have matching rings.” Tay responds. She sets a step forward, gently turning Ellen’s hand around so the back faces upwards, and slides the darker, purple-stoned ring onto her finger.

She holds the other one out to Ellen.

Ellen returns the gesture, internally relieved that both rings fit as she slides the red-stoned ring onto Tay’s hand. She’s beyond being able to contain her happiness, pulling Tay into another hug that turns into a spin that turns into the two of them tumbling over when Ellen slips on some ice. They’re still laughing as they stare up at the cloudy sky, slightly illuminated by the lantern even at this distance.

The giggles quiet down again and Ellen finds Tay’s hand in the snow, taking it in her own. She can hardly feel her fingers at this point, but it’s been worth it; when she’s this happy, the cold doesn’t bother her, anyway. “Y’know, if it makes you feel any better about having to wait so long, we’ve pretty much already been married for a while.”

“Still.” Tay squeezes Ellen’s hand. “It’ll be nice to be able to call you my wife. *Girlfriend* is…” she sighs, “insufficient. It’s not the word that describes the feeling. English is bad at this.”

Multicolored snow crystals drift down onto the two of them as they lie there, quietly, the moment too perfect to say much more. Tay knows they’ll have to leave at some point— that Ellen needs warmth, food, sleep, and they can’t just lie here in the snow forever—but it’s tempting to ignore.

One thing does weigh on her mind, however.

“How are we going to get people from seven different timelines and across millennia into one room for this?”