Title: Here With Me 31/?
Author: Anorien and Sairalinde
Type: RPS
Pairing: Craig/David
Rating: NC-17
Warning: None this chapter.
Beta: Ourselves
Disclaimer: This never happened. This was written in fun that's all.
Feedback: Yes please send to sairalinde @ hornofgondor.com
or thechroniclesofosgiliath @ yahoo.com
Archiving: OEAM, Mirrormere, The Chronicles of Osgiliath, Saira's Library, CxD Archive, other's ask.
Summary: A.U. Two University Professors try to overcome their pasts and find love and healing.
A/N: This is A.U. and it is the world we wish really did exist.

// Indicates thoughts
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

David had been excited all day about tonight. He hoped Craig would like his gifts...especially one of them. Dinner had been wonderful but he could tell Craig seemed nervous...he was probably worried about some of the gifts he'd gotten for David. Smiling at the thought, David settled down on the floor next to Craig beside the Christmas tree. "So...lets see...this one here has your name on it," he said handing an elegantly wrapped package to Craig.

Craig took a deep breath and reached for the package David presented to him, unable to resist sneaking a peek at the rather large package with his name on it sitting in the corner. He’d *tried* to sneak around and shake it, but it was heavy, and David had caught him more than once. And now….he’d thought this moment would never get here, but now that it was, he was a nervous wreck. He’d barely been able to function all day, but though he was a good enough actor to keep his lover from being *too* worried. He’d been over this a hundred times in his mind, and simply terrified that David would reject his proposal of marriage. He tried to push the thought away as he smiled and shook the package, unable to resist tearing the wrapping off and letting it drift to the floor unnoticed, even though he simply *knew* it made him look all of five-years old. // Yet ANOTHER reason he might turn me down. What if he thinks I’m too immature?// Trying not to roll his eyes at himself, he lifted the lid to find a book…an old book. He fingered the gold lettering on the front of the carefully polished spine and looked up at David with wide eyes. “The Picture of Dorian Gray….I…This….this is….this is an original Oscar Wilde. Do you…. Do you know how rare this book is? I…You…..It…..”

David smiled happily as Craig's eyes sparkled in surprise, "Yes, matter of fact I do know exactly how rare it is...just like you," David said leaning over and kissing Craig tenderly. "I hope that means you like it?" he asked grinning so relieved he'd gotten it right.

Craig blushed and forgot his nervousness for just a moment, wrapping his arms around his lover. “I *love* it!” he laughed, practically bouncing. He looked back at the package and ran his fingers over the book softly, almost petting it. After a moment, he looked up and gave a sheepish grin. “Sorry,” he said. “Here’s one for you.” He reached back and handed David a medium-sized box, wrapped neatly in silver paper with a shimmering red bow on top.

"Don't be sorry, love, I'm really relieved that I got it right," David laughed as he took the beautifully wrapped box from Craig. Pulling the bow off and setting it to the side and slowly unwrapping the gift he looked up to see Craig looking at him oddly. "Oh...sorry," he said finally just ripping the pretty paper open and sliding the lid off the box. As he pulled the tissue paper back his smile spread across his face and he looked up at Craig happily, "I love it!" he said unable to stop smiling, "Going on my desk as soon as we get back to work," he said running his finger down the silver frame and gazing at the photograph of the two of them together. It was perfect. "Thank you," he said leaning over and kissing Craig soundly resting his forehead against Craig's. "I love you," he whispered.

Craig smiled and wrapped his fingers around David’s. “I love you, too,” he said softly, looking into sparkling blue eyes. “It’s not much, but I was hoping it would remind you of how much I love you when we’re not together.” He leaned in for another kiss and couldn’t resist stealing another glance at the box in the corner. “So…want me to go ahead and open that box over there that has my name on it?” he asked hopefully.

"It's perfect, and I'll probably end up staring at you all the time and getting lectured by Sally, but definitely worth it," he said smiling. Returning Craig's sweet kiss David laughed at his comment about the large gift, "Not just yet...how about...mmm this one?" he asked handing Craig a medium sized package wrapped in reds and greens.

Craig shook the box and tried to take his mind off the last gift he planned on giving David tonight. He only hoped that if David turned him down, they could still stay together like this – happy and in love and…..well, together. He tore into the package, unable to quell his internal dialogue. //It’s too soon. *No it’s not.* It’s only been three months. *It didn’t take you three minutes to realize you wanted to spend the rest of you life with him. Three months is more than enough time when you find your soul mate.* What if he’s not sure? *He’s sure, you idiot! He’s as sure as you are!* But…..OH SHUT UP!//

Tearing open the paper much more quickly than David had, he opened the box to reveal a thick leather journal, with is name embossed in gold on the bottom right corner. He opened it carefully to reveal hand made paper pages with gold gilding before closing it just as carefully. “A journal,” he said softly. “My old one was completely full. This one…this will be filled with notes and thoughts and dreams about you and our wonderful life together.” // And hopefully the first entry will say that the day I got this journal is the same day that you agreed to marry me.// “Thank you, sweetheart. I love it.” He reached behind him and found a small rectangular box. “This is yours.”

David smiled happily as Craig spoke. Taking the small box David unwrapped it to reveal a beautiful silver watch with a rich blue face. "Oh, this is...this is beautiful," David said softly. His watch had been broken in his struggle with Richard that day and he hadn't replaced it yet. "Thank you, love. I've been meaning to get a new watch," David said softly leaning forward and kissing Craig tenderly. "Ok...so are you ready for the big one now?" he grinned as Craig's eyes lit up.

“Sooooo ready,” Craig laughed. // I just hope you’re ready for your big one next…// He felt his nerves hit him full force again, and he almost felt sick. // He’s going to say no! Wait and see. He’s going to say no and you’re going to feel like an idiot and things will never be the same. // “I….I tried to shake that box, you know, and, well….” He looked down and had the grace to blush. “It’s heavy.”

David chuckled "Why doesn't that surprise me?" he asked standing up and offering Craig his hand, "Come on...we'll go to it," he laughed.

Craig grinned and let David help him to his feet, then hurried over to the corner of the room tugging his lover along behind him. “I can open it here,” he said, itching to tear the wrapping off. “No need to take the time and effort to drag it across the room. You know…..cause it’s not good for the back….”

David laughed nodding, "Yes, go ahead," David said smiling. He really hoped Craig liked this gift. It wasn't easy buying something like this for someone and he had to assume a lot when he decided to get this gift for him.

Craig didn’t hesitate to tear into the wrapping, paper and ribbon flying everywhere. He tugged open the flaps of the box and froze, his mouth falling open. “Oh my God,” he whispered, reaching in to gently caress soft leather. “It’s gorgeous.” He carefully lifted up a heavy saddle, breathing in the sent of new leather and oil, running his fingers over every curve. He sat it down and turned to wrap his arms around his lover. “You shouldn’t have….but…..It’s gorgeous – absolutely gorgeous! Thank you sweetheart. I really, really love it. We should take it out to the stable later tonight and see how Brodie like it.”

David was relieved by Craig's reaction to the saddle. //Let's hope he is that happy with the rest of it.// He kissed Craig gently barely able to stop smiling, "Um, actually it's not for you to use on Brodie," David said softly. "You might want to take another look in the box."

Craig’s brow furrowed and he looked back down, finding a small gray envelope with his name written neatly in red. He reached down for it and slowly unfolded the clasp, drawing out a large photograph. “Honey?” he said, his mouth suddenly dry. “It’s a picture of a horse.” And not just any horse…a gorgeous golden specimen with a champagne-colored mane and tail, sleek and muscled, fully grown and simply incredible. “Why did you get me….a……saddle and……” dropping his hands to his side and clutching the photograph, he turned back toward his lover. “Does this saddle……….go…….on……*this*…horse?”

"Yes," David said smiling at Craig's reaction. "He's arriving here tomorrow morning...he's quite a horse, wonderful bloodlines," David he explained. "Is...is that ok? I mean we hadn't discussed this but...I just wanted you to have your own horse instead of borrowing mother’s," he said softly, truly worried if he'd done the right thing.

Craig dropped the picture and envelope and almost knocked David over as he leapt into his arms. Raining dozens of kisses over his lover's face, he tried to talk and kiss at the same time. “Ok?” he managed, “It’s…..it’s perfect! I’ve not had my own horse since…..well, for a long time, and you know how I love to ride.” He finally gave up on the talking and settled for a deep kiss. “I can’t believe you did this for me,” he said softly. “You have no idea how much I love it. Thank you, sweetheart.”

David stumbled back a bit as Craig leapt into his arms and laughed as he was showered with kisses. He was so happy that Craig loved the gift, David had been so worried about it. As Craig's lips found his for a deep kiss he ran his fingers through his lover's hair and savored his sweetness. "I am so glad you love it, I was worried. He'll be here tomorrow before noon...he really is even more beautiful in person."

“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Craig whispered, holding on to David tightly. “I can’t wait. Maybe we can go for a ride as soon as he gets here. You know, so he’ll feel at home, and welcome and stuff?”

Now that the moment was here, Craig felt as if he were going to have a panic attack. He wanted to stall for as long as he could, but he knew David had already seen the last box under the tree, with “For my sweet David, All My Love, Craig” written on the small card.

"Of course you can take him out when he arrives...he's yours, love," David smiled. Looking around Craig's shoulder toward the tree he spied the small box there, "Looks like there is only one gift left," he grinned curious what Craig had saved for last.

Craig paled visibly and broke out in a cold sweat. “I……Yeah. One left,” he said quietly, wondering if he actually had the nerve to do this. “You…..well…..why don’t you go sit on the couch and I’ll bring it to you?”

David looked at Craig oddly wondering why he was so nervous about a gift. "Oh...well ok," David said walking over to the couch and sitting down looking at Craig with a concerned look on his face.

Craig retrieved the gift and sat on the edge of the couch, his knee touching David’s. Sitting the box on his lover’s lap, he took a deep breath. “Go ahead,” he encouraged softly “I want to tell you something while you open it.”

David nodded and looked down at the box pulling the bow off and tearing open the paper. Lifting the lid off, he smiled when he saw the small oak box engraved with hearts. He ran his fingers over the two hearts entwined and lifted it out of the box. He looked up at Craig, "This is lovely," he said still trying to understand why Craig had been so nervous.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Craig gave David a weak smile. “Sweetheart,” he said softly, then stopped, having to clear his throat. “We’ve been together 104 days. So much has happened since we first met, that it sometimes seems unreal. I’ve loved you since the very first second I laid eyes on you, and I’ve never doubted that what I’ve felt for you is real and true and forever. We had only been together for a few days when I told you I’d never want anyone else, and I still mean that with all my heart. I….” He reached out and opened the lid of the box, pausing to let David look inside.

David listened to Craig's words with a soft smile on his face, when Craig reached over and opened the lid of the oak box he looked inside to see rose petals. "Rose petals?" he asked looking at Craig curiously trying to figure out what was going on.

“One hundred and four,” Craig said softly. “One for each day of laughter and happiness and joy and love that you’ve brought into my life so far. But…there’s something else in there too…Since there aren’t enough rose petals in the world to show you how many days of love we have in our future, there’s something else in the box that will. Look beneath the petals.” //*OhGodOhGodOhGod* This is it!!//

David looked over at Craig practically feeling how nervous he was. One hundred and four days, one hundred and four rose petals? Craig's words sounded like...like... //oh God.// David quickly looked under the rose petals to find a beautiful Celtic knot work band in gold and silver and felt his heart about to leap right out of his chest it was beating so hard. //OH.MY.GOD.// David looked up from the ring to Craig, his eyes wide, wondering if it was really what he thought it was.

Craig’s eyes met David’s and he felt his heart pound. “David,” he said softly. “I love you.” Sliding off the couch to kneel beside his lover, Craig reached for his hand. “Sweetheart……An bpósfaidh tú mé?”

As Craig slid off the couch onto his knee before him David thought his heart had stopped and restarted again in the space of a moment. As he heard the words 'will you marry me?' spoken in Gaelic, his smile spread from ear to ear he was sure and practically threw himself off the couch into Craig's arms, knocking them both to the floor. Kissing Craig over and over again and saying the word "Yes" and "Is ea" (yes in Gaelic) over and over again. His body was practically vibrating he was so excited and he knew he looked like a mad man laughing with tears running down his face. "I love you," he whispered laying his forehead against Craig's. "Yes, yes love a million times yes," he said softly.

Craig felt his lover’s tears fall down onto his face to mix with his own tears of happiness. He let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding and looked up at David as they lay on the floor, both men unable to stop smiling. “You,” he whispered softly, “have just made me the happiest man in the world. I was so scared you’d say no, or I’d forget how to say it in Gaelic, or I’d pass out or something. But…..my God, David! We’re *GETTING MARRIED!* I can’t believe you said yes…I can’t believe you’re going to be my husband.” Pulling David down for another kiss, Craig wrapped his arms around him and laughed. “My beautiful, perfect, so-very-loved husband.”

David laughed and brushed at Craig's tears with his fingertips. "I have wanted this for so long, Craig. That day I said it at the hospital...I wanted it to be true...and now it will be," he said laughing and kissing him softly. "I love you so much, my husband...oh God," David said sitting up and pulling Craig up with him, "I...my wish came true!" he said sounding all of twelve years old he was sure. "I...I wished, that night you gave me that first ornament, I wished that we would one day get married, and you said that it would come true by Christmas and it...it did!" David said laughing and kissing Craig.

Craig kissed David and couldn’t have kept the smile from his face if his life depended on it. “I wondered what you wished for that day,” he laughed. “That day at the hospital, when the nurse announced that my husband was there, and you walked in, all I could think about was how much I wished it were true. I’ve been trying to figure out a way to ask you ever since."

"Ever since?" David asked happily and looking down at the box with the ring still inside. He picked the ring out from the rose petals, some of which had been scattered around them in his excitement.

"The ring isn’t much," Craig smiled, "and you can trade it in for something better, ….I just wanted to hear you say yes, and I couldn’t wait until I could afford something nicer. Nollaig Shona Dhuit, my love.”

"It's perfect, perfect, Craig. Absolutely perfect, I won't be trading this ring for all the gold in the world," he said softly holding it up for Craig to slide it on his finger. "Nollaig Shona Dhuit chun tá, mo ghrá," he whispered as Craig took the ring from him.

Craig kissed the ring and held it up to David’s finger. “It’s too dark in here to see,” he said softly, “but the inside is inscribed. It says ‘forever’ in English and Gaelic. Because that’s what you are – my forever.” Slowly sliding the ring over his fiancé’s finger he stared into glittering blue eyes. “Pick a date, my love, and tell me when you want to officially be my husband.”

Smiling happily as Craig slid the ring on his finger he whispered, "Forever, go síoraí," he looked up at Craig. "Tonight?" he asked wondering if Craig would think he'd lost his mind. Judge Deaton would be leaving for midnight mass soon, but he could probably catch him.

Craig’s eyes widened and his smile grew impossibly wider. “Tonight?” he echoed. Tonight is perfect! I….I ….God, I was afraid you’d want to wait months! I didn’t want you to feel rushed, but…..I would *love* to marry you tonight. Do you think you can find someone…..like…right now?”

"Yes, my grandfather's friend Judge Deaton...he would do it I'm sure," David said leaning in and kissing Craig quickly. "We are getting married!" he laughed. "Ummm...phone...need to call him," he said running his hand over his face and scooting back out of Craig's lap and grabbing the phone off the end table. "You sure?" he asked pausing before he dialed the number.

Craig stood up quickly and wrapped his arms around David, holding him close. “Never been more sure of anything in my entire life,” he said softly, his lips up against his lover’s ear. “But you’re going to have to figure out a way to talk over my head, because I’m not moving an inch.”

David laughed, "I think I can figure something out," he grinned. Dialing the number he waited on someone to pick it up on the other end. "Merry Christmas, Mrs. Deaton, this is David Wenham. Yes ma'am. Yes, I'm doing quite wonderful actually. May I speak to Judge Deaton?" he asked feeling his heart pounding and knowing Craig could feel it. "Hello, sir...no, nothing's wrong...I was wondering if you might do something before mass tonight? I was wondering if you could...if you could conduct a wedding? Yes, tonight...um, yes...mine. No...that was just a rumor, but he is who I really am marrying," David said smiling down at Craig. "We'll be there. Thank you, sir," he said pushing the end call button on the phone. "He said for us to meet him at the church, he'll do the ceremony in the rectory." David explained to Craig. "We need to leave...now though," he said looking at Craig smiling happily.

Craig reached down to tangle his fingers with David’s and had to stop himself from dancing him across the room. “One thing,” he said, placing a kiss on his fiancé’s lips, “then we’re off to get married…for real this time.” He walked over to the end table that sat next to the couch and opened the drawer. Pushing aside the tube of lube, he pulled out an envelope. “Before we get married…I’d like you to sign this. It’s a prenuptial agreement. Just in case…..just in case you ever…….well, you know….need to be with someone other than me, or need to be alone, or anything….this is to assure you that everything you have stays yours. I don’t want anything from you….as I’ve said before, sweetheart, the only thing I want is your love, despite what your father and some other people may think.” He reached back in the drawer and got a pen. “It’s all ready – just needs your signature, then we’re off.”

David started shaking his head the minute the word prenuptial passed Craig's lips, "No, no I'm not signing that," he said softly. "I love you, and will always love you, and I trust you, and I believe in this Craig, in us. Please don't ask me to sign that," David said looking down at the floor his previous smile gone.

Craig put the pen down and walked over to his lover, gently tilting his face up until their gazes met. “Sweetheart, please,” he said softly. “You have…you have so much, and I have nothing. I…I think…..Oh, God, David, please don’t look at me like that. Please. I’m doing this for you. You may change your mind one day, and…..just because you sign it doesn’t mean it will ever happen. I honestly and truly believe in my heart that we’re forever, but….people like your father and….other people won’t understand. This doesn’t have to change anything. It’s the only way I know of to prove that I don’t want anything else from you.”

"You don't have to prove anything to *me*, Craig," David said softly. "I don't want to sign it. Please?" he asked sadly. Craig did make a good point but David didn't need that to know Craig wasn't after his money. He'd always known he wasn't.

Craig hung his head and walked back over to the table, folding the contract and putting it back in its envelope. David had been through so much, it was beyond Craig’s understanding how he could be so trusting. But they were soul mates – and maybe David trusted Craig as much as Craig trusted David himself. “Ok, love,” he nodded. “But I’ll leave it here in case you ever change your mind.” Closing the door with a bang, he walked back over and took David’s hand, leaning in for a quick kiss. “Come on, my love. Let’s get married.”.

"I won't change my mind," David said with a nod. As Craig walked over and took his hand and kissed him he smiled again, "Yes...let's get married," he said happily. Grabbing their coats from the closet before going out to the car David turned and took Craig's hand again. "I love you so much," he said softly as the got into the car.

TBC