The Long Road By Stefani
	The Long Road By: Stefani Rated: G/Slash Disclaimer: I own all characters, they were created by *me* Distribution: DreamLand only, unless you ask. Our hands are laced together at the fingertips, entwined with each other's, fitting perfectly as if they were once one, and now two pieces of the puzzle; destined to be together. I know my hands are sweaty as they are held in his; the electricity that is formed by our extreme and devoted love has always been too much for me to handle. But the way his thumb runs over my hand calms me down a very great deal, soothing my nerves that are beyond shot as it is. The only sounds that I can hear are the pitter- pattering of our footsteps' on the sidewalk's cement as we stride down the road in unison; step for step- perfection. And I am lost when I am with him. I have no state of geographical importance. I am here. With him. And that is all that matters to me. The frozen grasses covered in a thick snow in a deep Alaskan winter, to the sunny shores of a Floridian beach in the middle of July, to this very suburban road we walk now, it's all the same to me. And I couldn't care less. "We're almost there." He calls me out of my deep trance that had focused solely on him, as usual. I had no reason to think about anything else then him. He is my body, my mind, and my spirit. He is my total being and reason for existence. His voice is soft and soothing, like a massage for my ears. His deep scent of what I know is a new cologne wraps around me, suffocating me with his sweet smell, filling my nostrils, faintly tingling my tongue, and completely intoxicating me. My attention is called back to our hands once more, as his thumb begins to create circles around my supple skin. He's my security blanket, like a small child might carry, psychologically protecting me from any demons I might face, both literal and figurative. Our eyes connect for a brief moment, our tremendous coincidence that we decided to look at one another at the exact same moment in time. And the passion I can see deep within his emerald orbs takes the breath right out of my lungs, which enables me to speak, though I doubt I could even if I wanted to. I stumble over and uneven piece of the walkway and before I've even begun to fall downwards as I knew I would, his arms have already wrapped around me, catching me instantly, and assisting me in a normally not difficult task of regaining my balance, that seemed impossible with my subconscious telling me how he'd hold me if I couldn't compose myself. "Careful." He says, his voice making my knees wake, and as quick as I straightened myself up, I fear my legs will go weak and I'll trip again. Somehow I manage to get my act together, our pace going right back to that same tempo that reaffirms my heart's strong desire. The sun is out, and it's exceptionally hot today. I look up at his face again, this time, his eyes dead ahead, as I follow a single bead of sweat that begins it's journey at his hairline, slipping out beneath the dark, thick black waves, sliding past the mesmerizing eyes one could find themselves lost in for hours, eyes that let you see his every thought, every love. The drop slid down the side of his nose and over a small patch of freckles and past his left ear; the one that is pierced, now adorned by a single diamond earring, small in size, large in beauty. I had given it to him for our six-month anniversary two years ago. Past his small, thin, pink lips, a little glossy from the chap stick I watched him apply this morning in the bathroom mirror, over his smooth face , and plummeting its way to the ground. He is totally unaware of the insignificant bit of moisture that completely captured my full attention during its short existence. His free hand runs through his thick black hair, the locks swaying backwards with the quick motion of his hand, although they quickly retreat back to their previous position as if they had never been moved- not a single hair out of place. And the next time our eyes meet, he smiles. He smiles at me. And my heart flutters with such speed that I worry it will beat right out of my chest. And I wonder if I deserve all of this. What have I done to deserve this amazing feeling that I can only imagine so far people get to experience in this entire lifespan. I don't know why I was the recipient of such a fierce love, but I throw the questioning feelings aside and think about all I should. Who cares how I got it, the point was I did, and for that, I am grateful. "Are you excited?" He queries. I shake my neck yes so fast, I am positively baffled as to how I didn't hurt it. Excited is an understatement. Thrilled is putting it mildly. The feeling I have is beyond any word currently known in any language, and stronger then any feeling currently known to mankind. His fingers drop my hand, and for a moment, I am saddened. But that is only under I realize that he is wrapped his entire arm around me holding me close to him, his fingertips gently digging into my hips. His lips press against my temple and linger for a moment, before pulling back. Now I am sure that the pace my heart is pounding to is enough force to leap out of my body. His lips send a spark that begins at my face, and shoot down my arms, and soars through my body, reaching to the tips of my fingers and toes, making my insides tingle. Our destination slowly comes into view now, though it is still too far off in the distance for me to make any judgment. Thus far, it is still a mere spot far down the long stretch of road. We pass an old brick school, small, but making memories flood back into my mind from when I myself attended grade school there. I spent a vast amount of my childhood swinging and sliding on the old, rushing, playground equipment that has since been replaced with a much newer and more modernized area, complete with fancier swings and random other things I didn't know what were, the whole thing painted in bright shades of yellow and blue. And I remember the vast fields of green, where we played simple schoolyard games such as tag and Red Rover. In attempts of keeping up with the times, it too has been replaced, blacktop killing and crushing the grass that I know was once beneath it. It is painted with elaborate forms of hopscotch and a full basketball court. I smile at a memory, before I take my state of mind make to present tense, when I realize that we have passed the school, quite some time ago, and continued on. His right arm is swinging out at his side, in perfect time with the smooth motion of our legs. Matthew. his name shoots tremors through me, a smile breaking out across my pliant lips, spreading cheek to cheek. I sneak another look, his dark pants held up by a black belt, which matches his shoes. His deep crimson shirt was tucked in, a silver watch adorns his right wrist that is holding me. His hand lightly rubs and travels my side, and I sigh uncontrollable softly. "Calm down." He whispered, and starts to say something else, but stop himself. My curiosity sparks up, as would any one's, but I say nothing, no questioning his judgment- NEVER questioning his judgment. I pass the street that my parents live on. I haven't seen them in quite sometime, they don't approve of Matthew. I am grateful of his silence as the road passes, adding another lost memory behind me, where I intend to keep them. The destination begins to become clearer, making me smile a little bit, relieving me of previous tension, and helping me forget about the unpleasant thoughts. I stumble again, tripping lightly, but catching myself. I look down and see a shoelace dangling, before I even have a chance to fix it, Matt's warm hands leave me and kiss my cheek, fixing the nuisance, coming right back to me, as our hands find one another's and tangle. I rest my head on Matt's shoulder as we walk, he is about three inches taller then me. His muscles are much more prominent then mine, though I do attend the local gym with him. The town is oddly quiet as we walk through is for the last time. The weather is near perfect, sun shining, cooling down a little from earlier, a few clouds coming into view in the majestic blue sky, reminding me of the ever-changing weather of our climate. In the distance, church bells ring, and I count them to myself. It is four o'clock and not a single car is traveling down the busiest road in the little town. Usually about now, husbands are returning from work, racing along to get back to our families. But that is not the case today. Today it is Matthew and I. I have lost track of our speed, which had somehow quickened, me, too preoccupied with my thoughts to have really noticed until I stopped and thought about it. We pass the brick building I had been using as a reference as to our distance to where we were headed. The building hides the small park and pavilion area that is beside it. We turn sharply to the right and take a much thinner pathway to the first white pavilion, and I start to shake, my hands trembling, and I know he can tell. Matt walks up the steps, me in quick tow, and drops my hand after looking into my eyes for a long period of time. A cool breeze blows through the aream whisping his hair lightly, and I hear a clasp of a box. I tremble more, knowing what's coming, and knowing it's going to end with tears, My nerves are off the chart, the entire situation feeling like an all too vivid dream to me, and I'm only going to wake up and see that this whole thing was no more then a sleeping fantasy all along. Matt turns back to me, ours faces barely over a foot apart. He takes my hands once more, clasping both of them, and our eyes drawn to each other's like magnets, staring right into my soul, his lips curved up lightly, and for the first time, I see, that he, too, is a little nervous. "I know this is right," he starts, " and I know that I want us to spend the rest of our lives together. Every single millisecond we have spent together, I cherish more then anything I own, or anything I could ever want, or ever feel. And I know deep in my heart, regardless of what anyone ever tells you, this, this is right. I want to fall asleep with you every night and wake up with you everyday. I want to hold you, and most importantly, love you." My heart stops at his profession, "I love you." We kiss as he slips a ring over my finger, pulling our lips apart, and I know it's my turn. He reaches up and wipes one of my tears away. "Matt." I choke as he hands my his ring, his eyes, oh God, those eyes, begging me to go on, "I don't know why I deserve you, but I love you more then anything as well, and you know that. And even if it can never be official, that doesn't matter. All that does matter is that we're together here, in our hearts. I love you." I slip the ring on his finger as well, and we kiss again. "I love you so much Jason." He whispers against my ear as our tight embrace continues, for the entire world to see as far as we are concerned. We are in love. He holds out a hand that I eagerly take, my heart's thumping coming to a more even beat. We walk out of the park, and continue on our trip, down the road. Never looking back, never regretting.