And now it was showtime. She added a bit of humming to the music for a fainter effect before Orion began to sing, knowing full well Jasmine was listening, was at his right side, but couldn’t look at her. Not yet.

Orion: “And you called me on the phone to say there's nothing to talk about,

Wish you stopped your crying long enough just to hear me out,

Oh we are, we are, just what we are,

In the pride of all the things I've been putting you through,

When I shot up at the sky, I didn't know it'd fall down on you,

Take it all back, take it all back, Take it all back, take it all back.

I didn't mean to make you suffer, I didn't mean to make you cry,

I just wanna put us back together,

This isn't impossible, This isn't impossible,

This isn't impossible, This isn't impossible,

Yeah, yeah, oh, oh.”

    She couldn’t help but smile a little, and he felt that bit of happiness work it’s way through the bond. A happiness that wasn’t just his. That was a wondrous sensation. To know she was just as happy as he was. He hadn’t felt that for a day, and feeling it again felt like water in the middle of a desert.

“I know this life we're dealing with is getting under your skin,

If we can make it through the winter, we could fall in love again,

Oh we are, we are, just what we are,

And all these days it's just too easy to be calling it quits,

But a life without you would be too hard to find happiness,

Take it all back, take it all back, take it all back.

I didn't mean to make you suffer, I didn't mean to make you cry,

I just wanna put us back together,

This isn't impossible, This isn't impossible,

This isn't impossible, This isn't impossible,

Yeah, yeah, oh, oh.

Well I'll just set us straight to . . . breaking me up,

Cause every corner is a memory, One day I'll write you back,

You took my wings and left me, Here all alone,

I'm sorry I'm a little bit agel, and a little bit animal.

I didn't mean to make you suffer, I didn't mean to make you cry,

I just wanna put us back together,

This isn't impossible, This isn't impossible.

I didn't mean to make you suffer, I didn't mean to make you cry,

I just wanna put us back together,

This isn't impossible, This isn't impossible,

This isn't impossible, This isn't impossible,

Yeah, yeah, oh, oh.”

    The music died out fairly quickly once he was finished and he turned his head to look at Jasmine, where she stood smiling at the brim of the crowd that watched him. He walked over slowly and offered her his hand. Mindy looked like she might start squealing in delight at any second.

Orion: “Jasmine . . . ?”

    He asked gently after a second passed of her just watching him. Her smile grew as she took his hand in hers and he led her out into the small clearing that had formed.

Jasmine: “Yes, Orion . . . ?”

    Mindy watched in awe, but before Orion could do anything like what the girl was waiting for, he had to know something first about Jasmine. His eyes locked with hers, searching endlessly. She just smiled at him.

Jasmine: “I love you, too . . .”

    He broke out into a grin and embraced her tightly, kissing her cheek, her temple, her lips before she pulled away gently, and, not caring about the cameras began to sing a tune of her own. Mindy quickly caught on to the song and began striking the appropriate chords.

Jasmine: “Will you still love me, When I'm no longer young and beautiful?

Will you still love me, When I got nothing but my aching soul?”

    She didn’t even need to look at his face for her answer, but when she saw his expression, absolutely no doubt remained.

“I know you will, I know you will, I know that you will,

Will you still love me when I'm no longer beautiful?

Dear lord, when I get to heaven, Please let me bring my man,

When he comes tell me that you'll let him in, Father tell me if you can,

Oh that grace, oh that body, Oh that face makes me wanna party,

He's my sun, he makes me shine like diamonds,

Will you still love me, When I'm no longer young and beautiful?

Will you still love me, When I got nothing but my aching soul?

I know you will, I know you will, I know that you will . . .”

    Mindy stumbled a bit with it being a partial song and cut at odd places here and there, but managed to make it sound intentional to the untrained ear. For a few spaces of spark beats, Jasmine and Orion just stood there, watching each other.

Orion: “Jasmine . . .”

    He uttered her name breathlessly, almost like a prayer to a goddess that was beyond her reach. He reached down into his pocket as he slid onto one knee, producing a small velvet box. She pressed her lips together tightly, eyes beginning to water. When he opened it, a ring made of two interwoven bands sat inside; one gold, one platinum. The design almost looked elven. The center stone was, quite typically, a diamond. The stones that sat around it made the ring.

    Encompassing one half sat an emerald, accompanied by a ruby and citrine. On the other sat a sapphire, a peridot and an amethyst. All in all, they surrounded the diamond in a perfect circle. They were all fairly sized, to keep the ring graceful instead of gaudy.

Orion: “Will you do me the honor of becoming my bride and my wife?”

    He held his breath, though he didn’t know why, and Jasmine just laughed at him, embracing him tightly as she sunk to his level.

Jasmine: “Any time, in any life . . .”

    He smiled, hugging her back in a tight embrace.

Orion: “Good . . . If you said ‘no’ . . .”

Jasmine: “I wouldn’t have . . .”

    He smiled, pulling her up with as he stood. He pulled away, took the ring out and slid it onto her finger, pulling her close to him with a grin across his face.

Jasmine: “I love you, Mr. Pax . . .”

Orion: “I love you too, Mrs. Pax . . .”

    She laughed gently, and Mindy, sensing opportunity, starting hitting a few more chords on her guitar. Jasmine glanced over at the young girl and smiled. She smiled back, blushing deeply that an idol of hers had acknowledged her existence just a few seconds before Jasmine began singing again, the mood of the day taking a very uplifting turn.

Jasmine: “I like your smile, I like your vibe,

I like your style, But that's not why I love you,

And I, I like the way, You're such a star,”

    She flipped her hair dramatically, smiling at the exaggeration as she sang the word ‘star’.

“But that's not why I love you, Hey,

Do you feel, do you feel me? Do you feel what I feel, too?

Do you need, do you need me? Do you need me?

You're so beautiful, But that's not why I love you,

I'm not sure you know, That the reason I love you is you, Being you,

Just you, Yeah the reason I love you is all that we've been through,

And that's why I love you.”

    Orion smiled, interrupting her to sing the next verse, a finger to her lips.

Orion: “I like the way you misbehave, When we get wasted, But that's not why I love you.

    She raised a brow and interrupted him in return for the next few lines.

Jasmine: “And how you keep your cool, When I am complicated, But that's not why I love you.”

Orion: “Hey, Do you feel, do you feel me?

Do you feel what I feel, too? Do you need, do you need me? Do you need me?

You're so beautiful, But that's not why I love you,

And I'm not sure you know, That the reason I love you is you, Being you,

Just you, Yeah the reason I love you is all that we've been through,

And that's why I love you.

Even though we didn't make it through,

I am always here for you.”

    Jasmine was a bit perplexed. The last two lines didn’t even seem like they’d come from Orion. More like someone else. Not just in their content, but in the tone, in the glimmer of his eyes.

“You're so beautiful, But that's not why I love you,

I'm not sure you know, That the reason I love you is you, Being you,

Just you, Yeah the reason I love you is all that we've been through,

And that's why I love you.”

    The music continued to play gently, and Jasmine shrugged off the odd feeling she’d had for a moment, going back to the giddiness she’d felt earlier. To the absolute joy. It felt a bit rushed to be engaged to him, yet it felt like she’d known him for a lifetime.

    Quite frankly, it was kind of . . . crazy. Insane. Romantic. It was everything. And she loved everything about it. It was incredible and it made her spark beat a bit faster, even though she felt completely comfortable around him. He just had that effect on her. She gazed at the ring, at the interwoven pieces and the gems that gave it so much character.

Jasmine: “We came from two different worlds, didn’t we . . . ?”

    She asked, almost in awe, not quite sure what she was saying herself.

Jasmine: “And yet we’ll never be separated again . . .”

    He smiled when she looked back up at him. He’d never stopped. She was everything to him some days, and now he was going to have her with him every day. Their sparks beat in sync as they held eye contact, not even paying attention to the hushed chatter and commentary from the crowd and news crews. What got their attention, breaking through into their little world, was the loud barking of Harley from the roof. He only stopped making noise when they looked up at him. Orion smiled even more.

Orion: “Guess he’s welcoming you to the family, Jazz.”

    She laughed gently.

Jasmine: “Guess he is . . . And you still have to be hazed by my pets, now don’t you?”

    He chuckled, picking her up into his arms, cradling her close.

Orion: “We’ll get there, Beautiful . . . We’ll get there soon . . .”