Butterflies and Hurricanes

[[Kirsty]]

Sitting before the mirror Mrs Haner gently ran the brush through my long golden locks. Having been considered a dirty blonde only a few months back, the sunshine had conditioned it till now it shone like the Gold at the Haner mines.

"You have such beautiful hair," Susan commented, smiling gently as she ran the bristles through it, teasing out the waves till they were straight before they bounced back. "I remember a time when my hair used to shine like this."

I smiled softly at her mirror reflection. Once she had done she placed the ivory brush upon the desk, bade me goodnight and kissed my forehead softly. Only now that I was alone in my room did I sigh with loneliness.

Brian had been gone all afternoon, all through tea and even the evening had passed without his return. I didn't know where he was or what he was doing and this only added to my worry. Not only that but I didn't feel safe.

Holding the silk robe around me I gracefully came to stand before drifting over towards my bed, the layers of my white satin and lace nightgown flowing gently about my legs. There literally was no expense spared on any of the things I had been given.

It was almost as if Brian had written ahead and told his mother to buy only the finest things for me. I mean the silk dressing gown alone was all the way from China so that must say something about the amount of money that was being spent on me.

Gently I removed the gown, placing it across the foot of the bed before climbing up into the middle of the four poster and pulling the covers over myself. Then I rolled onto my side, looking out the windows once more.

Yet again the night was clear and the stars were bright as they looked down upon Earth, a nightlight for each and every one of us twinkling away in the sky. I never got to see too much of the stars back in London. Until we met the guys we didn't tend to wander out at night too often.

Then we wandered out at the most dangerous time possible nearly every night of the ordeal. Pray tell a young woman exactly where the logic of that is.

Suddenly I heard a creaking noise as if the door was being pushed open, followed by soft footfalls on the shiny wooden flooring until they became muffled by the carpets. Curious, I turned over to face the other way only to be met with Brian.

Grinning from ear to ear, I threw the covers off of me, scrambling from the bed and flung myself at him, burying my face into his chest and inhaling deeply as he chuckled softly and wrapped his arms around my tiny frame in return. "Oh, I missed you!" I whispered, tilting my head back and smiling up to him.

"I missed you too," he smiled back.

"Why were you gone for so long?"

"I'll answer that later, but first I want you to come somewhere with me," he asked before hesitating, "if you would like to of course. I would understand if you didn't because it is getting so late now and-"

Whilst he had been talking away I had pulled on my silk robe and a pair of delicate flat slippers before standing before him, waiting patiently for him to finish talking and realise I wanted to go wherever it was he wanted to take me.

"If you are quite finished, sir," I smiled slyly at him.

Brian held out his arm, offering to me to take it which I did, before the both of us exited my room and he led me along the halls to the main entrance and then outside into the night air. It was cool but pleasant and I let my eyes drift upwards to observe the night sky once more.

Together we silently, comfortably, made our way along the paths that led through the long winding gardens and lawns till we reached a circular white cast iron gazebo with winding roses entwined around it and matching seats underneath.

I took a seat and Brian sat beside me, silence still enveloping us.

"Where were you today?" I asked quietly.

He cleared his throat and looked across at me. "I had to go to Anaheim but I didn't realise how long my business would take me," he answered, brushing his fingers along the contour of my jaw until he was pushing some of my hair back behind my ear. "I'm sorry it took so long, I truly am."

"I forgive you," I smiled.

"I'm glad," he smiled back. "Because I don't think I would have been able to live with myself if you didn't."

I couldn't help but chuckle softly to myself, and Brian tilted his head slightly to the side and arched one of his dark eyebrows curiously, obviously urging me to explain myself. I studied his expression in the moonlight, the way his lips curved upwards just ever so slightly at the corner in a hint of amusement.

"When I first met you, you swore like a sailor," I murmured. "And you lived terribly too."

"I never did it in front of you!" He protested, as if this would give him his innocence. This was true; he never did swear in front of me, not directly anyway, not when he knew I was there but there were plenty of times I heard him when he thought I wasn't around.

"No, you have always been quite the gentleman around me," I gave him his dues and he gave a look of pure smugness. "But it wasn't until we came to live with you that you got better at it."

"Am I the sort of gentleman you would marry?" He now asked, climbing to his feet. What a stupid question? Of course he is, he knows that! I love this man with every inch of my heart and soul, and he still asks such a question when it has already been asked?

"Of course, you know that," I frowned slightly at his question.

Brian remained standing, hands behind his back as he paced up and down before he stopped and considered me. I could barely see his face now his back was to the moon but I could still sense the smile upon it, I would always be able to sense that no matter how dark or how far apart we were.

Suddenly, Brian dropped down to his knee holding out a delicate ring between his fingers, the rock glinting in the moonlight and accentuating its faces beautifully. I gasped. Now I realised what he meant. Brian had never actually proposed marriage to me, he had only asked my fathers permission.

"Would you do me the greatest honour of allowing me to take your hand in marriage and become my wife?" He asked, holding my delicate left hand in his right one.

I couldn't help but giggle slightly before nodding. "Of course I will," I then spoke clearly and gently he slipped the ring upon my finger before kissing it. It was a snug fit and I couldn't help but smile even more. Then Brian leaned forward, our hands still clasped, to kiss me.

"Thank you," he whispered. "Thank you so much. Do you like the ring?"

"I love it."

"It is worth the time it took for me to collect it today?" He then smiled slyly at me. I felt my eyes widen in surprise and he chuckled at my reaction. So that was why he was gone! He was getting me an engagement ring! "It was my grandmothers engagement ring; when she was ill before she died, she gave it to me telling me to give it to only one woman, the woman I intended on giving my heart to."

"Why would you give it to more than one?" I asked curiously.

"I was seventeen, young, and very popular with the ladies," he explained. "I was always changing my mind about whom it was I wished to be with. But when my grandmother gave it to me, it made me think more, respect women more, and I started to consider what exactly I wanted, but I didn't really know. And then I found you."

"Was it such a shock to your system when you did?" I grinned to myself, twirling the diamond ring around my finger. I was mildly surprised to see that this ring was not a gold one considering where it was the Haner riches had come from, at least not yellow gold anyway.

"Yes," he murmured. "That first night I met you I struggled so hard against what I knew was right, and what I knew was true. I almost ripped Johnny's throat out for letting you get lost, but I managed to convince myself I had been imagining things. It was so weird seeing you the next day, near the Thames."

"I can't believe that was only a few months ago." The mood deflated slightly, and Brian gripped tightly at my hand. The memory of that night hurt him more than it hurt any of us, except Zack and Sarah, because he was convinced it should always have been him that took the bullet and not Zack. "Hey, we're okay are we not?"

Brian sighed before smiling as he gazed down at the floor before back up at me. "Yes, we are, we're more than okay, except," he chewed his lip pensively. "I have to go away for a day on business. You shall be staying with Sarah at Zack's house whilst we-"

"We?" I cut across. "What sort of business does "we" entail?"

Brian went silent and looked away as if trying to decide whether to tell me something or not. I waited patiently for his answer, my brain forming many possibilities within my mind, all of them involving the guys in wolf form chasing off some mythical beastie.

"It is just business sweetheart," he finally answered, brushing his hand over my cheek and cupping it gently. "I shall be gone no longer than one day, I promise."

It didn't take long for my mind to take this answer and I smiled at him, squeezing his hand to let him know I accepted this. Then, once more, a silence settled on us, more comfortable than any we had experienced before and I even found myself leaning over to rest my head upon his shoulder.

"Just so you know," Brian began to whisper eventually. "The moment my mother knows that it is official she will immediately begin preparations for a party."

"I can deal with a little socialisation," I replied, tilting my head back to consider him. He raised an eyebrow.

"A little?" He scoffed. "Sweetheart, any party thrown by a Haner is one of the social events of the season. You know you have made it into society, when you receive an invitation signed by my mother."

"Oh." They really were a powerful family... "So to become her daughter-in-law?"

"Is to become the most envied woman in all of California."