To the Moon and Back

“Job well done today, everyone! That’ll be a wrap for today!” Gatiss exclaims, clapping his hands together. Ben and Martin walk off the set together, exhausted and relieved.

“So, Sherl-fuck,” Martin says putting his head in his hands, causing his good friend Ben to start laughing. Martin laughs into the palms of his hands. “I’m so bloody tired! Anyway, mate. Any plans for your special night?” He asks looking up at him from his hands. Ben gives him a quizzical look due to his emphasis on the word ‘special’.

“What’s so special about—“ Ben stops as soon as he looks at his phone which he digs out of his pocket; a text.

'Happy Anniversary, dove! I hope your day is going well, and that filming isn’t too stressful. I love you to the moon and back. See you when you get home!'

After reading the text a few more times to himself, he almost drops his phone. The smile on Martin’s face fades as he watches the smile on Ben’s turn to a look of shock.

“No,” Ben says, shaking his head. “No, I couldn’t have—“

“Ben—“ Martin begins.

“Our anniversary…three years,” Ben says running his hand through his hair. “I didn’t even get her anything.”

“Ben—“ Martin says louder.

“How in the bloody hell did I forget Evangeline and I’s anniversary?” He asks himself, beginning to pace.

“BENEDICT!” Martin shouts, getting his best mate’s attention. “Breathe,” he says quietly, and Ben takes in a gigantic breath and blows out slowly. “Alright. Get her some flowers, tell her you love her. She’ll be happy that you’re even home this time!” Martin says to him, and immediately shudders after. “Because..you weren’t on..okay don’t think about Valentines’ Day, just go!”

Benedict sighs in frustration and begins running to his car. He looks at his phone, and almost explodes due to what time it was; it’s now half past eleven. “Oh, bollocks.”

“You’re going to be alright!” Martin says with a wave of his hand, yelling over the roar of his engine.

Ben’s foot hits the pedal hard as he drives home. His mind wanders to his girlfriend; his beautiful Evangeline with her long wavy auburn hair, her big blue eyes with flecks of grey and gold, and the dimples in her cheeks when she smiles. He thinks of her thin fit body, and long legs that go for miles. All of this was slowly but surely calming him down.

After a twenty-turned-thirty minute drive due to the purchase of daisies, his Evangeline’s favorite flower, he finally arrives at their flat. Benedict opens his door flowers in hand, and slams it with great purpose before running towards his front door. He fumbles with his keys in his pockets, hands shaking with nervousness as he puts it through the key hole. As Ben opens the door, the sight before him leaves him baffled, making him chuckle.

In his living room, there stood a series of chairs, linked together with a long blanket to their black leather couch. “She bloody made me a fort,” he says with a smile. Benedict admired her ability to always surprise him with stunts like this. He walks slowly into his apartment, placing the flowers down on the counter in their kitchen, and slowly treks over to the fort.

Ben opens the small slit in the front of the fort to reveal Evangeline asleep on the floor which she had lined with pillows. His heart races as he realizes what she’s wearing; one of his white Oxford shirts with the top two buttons undone, and a pair of black boy shorts that she knew he loved seeing her in.

A feeling of guilt begins to bellow up in his stomach, ready to explode and infect the rest of him. He sits down next to his beauty, and moves her hair from her face. She cuddles into his palm as he does so, and her eyes begin to flutter open. Evangeline smiles up at her dear Benedict.

“Hello, love..” She says calmly with a groan as she stretches her long limbs out. Evangeline sits up, and crosses her legs pretzel style before him. He looks at her, watching as her auburn hair cascaded down her shoulders, with a smile on her face. She’s never looked more beautiful to him than this moment. He cups her face in his hands, and places a kiss on her forehead.

“Eevie, I’m so sorry,” Ben whispers, pulling her into his lap. “With work, and all the travelling, I…I forgot, darling. I forgot our anniversary, and I didn’t even get you anything,” He adds. “I feel terrible that you did all of this for me, and I wasn’t able to enjoy it with you—“

“Darling, it’s alright,” She says, positioning herself on his lap so her legs are straddling his. Ben feels his body heating up at how close she is to him. “You’re a busy man. A very busy man, but you’re a wonderful and kind man and a devastatingly handsome man,” she adds with a grin, making Ben laugh. “I know you’re not going to be home for every birthday, every holiday, every anniversary, and all of that nonsense,” she states, resting her hands behind his neck playing with the ends of his hair. “But I know that you love me, and surely you must know that I love you. That’s all that matters. That’s all that should matter.”

As if it isn’t even possible, Ben pulls Evangeline closer into him and gives her a very much needed kiss. He pulls away from her, with much difficulty, feeling tingles all over his body from her touches.

“Come to think of it, I do have something for you. I’ll be back, alright? Wait here!” He says placing a peck on her lips before crawling out of their fort.

She smiles to herself as she thinks about her boyfriend, and how lucky she is to have won the heart of a man like him. She truly loves her Benedict for the kind hearted and funny man that he is. The fact that he was a beautiful specimen of a man didn’t hurt either. Tonight, however, was different. She saw him in his black leather jacket, dark purple shirt with the top buttons undone, and dark blue jeans that hugged him just right. The way he looked at her, tonight with his beautiful icy blue eyes and smile…she deemed him to be perfect.

“Darling, can you come out please?” She hears him ask from outside. Evangeline crawls out of their little fortress, and stands up straight after coming out. She sees Ben standing there with one of his hands behind his back, and he begins to slowly walk over.

“What do you have there, Ben?” She asks, standing on her tippy toes with a chuckle. He smiles a genuine smile at her, and takes a deep breath. “Go on, dove. What is it?” She says, placing her hands on his shoulders. He takes yet another deep breath, and exhales.

“I have never been happier in my life than I have been these past three years, and…” he begins to say to her. He moves his arm from behind his back and in his hand she sees a little black box. Evangeline’s eyes begin to glisten with tears, and they begin to pour out when she sees him begin to kneel in front of her, and take her tiny hand in his. “I will love you, to the moon and back for the rest of my life, and after. So please, Evangeline Lorelai Porter, will you marry me?” Benedict asks the mess of tears and sniffles before him. He watches as her head nods up and down repeatedly.

“Yes, yes, yes, a thousand times yes!” She says with a smile as he places the beautiful ring on her finger. She pulls him up and wraps her arms around him, kissing him as hard as she can. He lifts her up off the floor spinning her around. He places her down, and wraps his long arms around her waist. Evangeline’s tears have vanished as she looks up at her now fiancé.

“Now, my dear fianceé…how would you like to celebrate?” Benedict says with a smirk as he places kisses down her neck, each one lingering longer than the last. She bites her lip as her hands slowly make their way up to the top of his shirt, slowly beginning to unbutton it.

“Why don’t we retreat to our fort?” She asks, his breaths getting shaky from her hands on his skin. “Take advantage of my masterpiece—“ He places a fiery kiss on her lips, as he picks her up off the floor. He puts her down in front of their fort, so they can crawl into it and celebrate their engagement in the most passionate way they thought possible.