Happy Anniversary Baby (Gareth Winter)

Samara had worked so hard on putting all of this together. It had taken a lot of favors and money that she didn't have, but she managed to get it all together and she was quite proud of herself. Gareth and her were due for their anniversary. They had been dating for so long, and now that they were living together it just seemed that they were one step closer to their life together. And soon, they would be taking their relationship up another notch. Soon Samara and Gareth would be married. Of course none of her family were really aware of this development. Both of them had been so busy that they didn't get the chance to inform anyone....and they were a bit afraid of the reactions they would receive.

Adjusting the glasses of wine so that they were just right she smiled and stepped back. The candles were lit, just waiting for her beloved, and the smell of salty sea air wafted around them. It was just a perfect night for this. Samara could not wait for Gar to arrive and see all the hard work she had put into their date. The food was under a charm to remain fresh until he came and the wine was in a small container to keep it cool and rare to the taste.

All she needed now was the music and everything would be set. Taking out her wand she gently flicked it and smiled pleased as her docking station played a light, romantic tune.

"Nothing is going to ruin this night," she grinned. "Absolutely nothing."

Taking her seat she stared out at the ocean, just waiting for her future husband and current love to arrive.

Gar and Sam's Dinner

Sam's Outfit

Gareth was tired. No, scratch that. He was exhausted. He'd begun his training at the Ministry of Magic as a grunt for the Wizengamot, and he was studying like mad for his NEWT's. He needed at least Exceeds Expectations in all of them if he wanted a chance to remain in his post after leaving Hogwarts. And then there was something more personal that was coming up. He was getting married.

He smiled to himself as he reached the place Sam had asked him to come to that evening. He didn't know why, but he had the feeling that it had something to do with their anniversary of the day they started dating, and maybe to start the plans for their upcoming wedding. He wanted for them to be husband and wife so much, he didn't know how much longer he could wait.

He wanted Samara to have the wedding she'd always dreamed of, but like most guys, Gareth would be happy getting married in a field, totally naked. Especially the naked part. He chuckled to himself as he started walking along the beach, looking for his beloved. He wanted to find her and give her the present that she'd not been able to open at Christmas, as she'd been sick. He'd kept it for any chance of a special occasion, and he felt that this would be just that. There had to be a special reason that she'd arranged for him to meet her on this beach, hadn't there?

Gareth stopped short when he saw what Sam had done for him. It was incredible! He was in love with a true romantic, and his heart swelled to remember that she loved him enough to have accepted his proposal. He set the bag that he was carrying on the ground next to the table and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"Samara Evans Bailey, I love you more and more every minute of my life. This is amazing." He kissed her softly on her lips.

Samara smiled gently against his lips and reached out to take his hand. She loved the man in front of her so much. She couldn't call Gareth a boy, not with the steps they had taken in their life. Gently she pulled away from his warm lips and looked up at him. He was so handsome and Samara could not help but think herself the luckiest girl in the world to have met him. All of their fights, all of their hardships, none of that mattered at the moment. No, at this moment the only thing that mattered was that they were going to sit down and discuss their future together, and Samara could not be anymore excited.

"I love you too," she said gently, her voice being slightly drowned out by the sound of an ocean wave. "I was scared they wouldn't let you come or something."

Gently she stroked his thumb with her own and looked lovingly into his eyes. He was just so handsome and Samara was so happy that they had met in that tower. It was hard to believe that so much had happened in little over a year. Before she had met Gareth she wasn't sure what she was going to do with herself, or if anyone would ever love her because of her condition, but here she was sitting with the man that she planned to spend the rest of her life with...and she would spend it with him willingly.

"I hope you're hungry because I made your favorite."

Samara cooked for Gareth every night. He worked more than she did, and Samara liked the idea of being a housewife over working at some big publishing company. Mostly because she was starting to really detest Miranda and the hold that woman had over her father.

"How was work today?" she continued gently. "You look so tired my love."

Gareth lifted his hands to his face and scrubbed lightly. To say that he was tired was an understatement, but he didn't want to think about that tonight. He wanted to be with his love, and only have his mind on her. He looked at the dinner that she'd made for them and smiled. It looked wonderful, and it made his stomach growl. The setting was beautiful, the music was beautiful. The only part of this that outdid all of it was Sam. She was beyond beautiful. She was gorgeous and put up with so much from him. He pulled off his tie and dropped it onto the table next to his plate. He tugged gently on her hand and led her about three feet away from the table.

"May I have this dance, Miss Bailey?" he asked. bowing to her. He knew that he was being corny and cheesy, but the setting was so romantic, that he couldn't resist. He even went one step further and took her hand, bending his head to kiss the back softly, like he'd seen Jack Dawson do with Rose in Titanic. He smiled up at her, and took her into his arms as the next song began.

"Sam, I don't want to think about anything tonight, but us, and our future together. What do you think about starting the plans for our wedding? Not all of it at once of course, but maybe we could set the date, and maybe talk about how beautiful that you are going to be?"

Gareth

Samara giggled as Gareth asked to dance with her and rolling her eyes at his adorable nerdiness she felt into his arms and began swaying back and forth. Samara had never been one to dance, not unless it was slow dancing. And it just so happened that Gar was the same way. Looking up at him she gently pressed her lips to his own and smiled.

"I love you..." she whispered, before resting her head on his shoulder once more.

This night was going so beautifully, and soon they would have more nights like this. More nights when it was just the two of them, more nights when they would talk about their future and just fall in love with one another over and over again. Samara was a firm believer that her future was in the eyes of Gareth, and she loved what she saw. In his eyes she saw warmth, nurturing, and safety. She saw her world in his eyes...and it was a beautiful, wonderful, world at that.

"I love you Gareth Aaron Winter," she breathed. "And I will never be able to tell you how much I love you...never."

Closing her eyes she rested her head back on his shoulder and just listened to the song and the beautiful notes that collided with the ocean waves.

Song

Gareth rested his cheek on Sam's head as it rested on his shoulder. He had never felt so content. He hoped that he and Sam would always be like this. Of course he knew that they would fight, all coulples did, but he wanted to love her forever, until the universe ended.

The song ended and he tilted her head toward him to look into her eyes. He kissed her nose, grinning at her with happiness.

"Thank you for the dance, my love," he said softly. "Now, would you rather talk about our wedding, or just sit and stare at each other for a while?" He chuckled gently, his eyes twinkling in the fading light. He didn't care if they didn't talk of their wedding, or even if they talked at all. He just wanted to be with Sam, eat the wonderful meal that she'd made for them, and hold her in his arms.

He moved back over to the table, pulling her chair back for her. His foot bumped something and he looked down briefly. It was the bag that he'd brought. He nudged it over to stand under his own chair. That could wait until she decided that she wanted it. If that didn't happen tonight, then he would just save it for another time. Tonight, he wanted Samara to be happy. Because when she was, so was he.

"Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?"

Samara sighed and held her beloveds hand. Tonight was just so wonderful. The waves slapped against th sea shore and the sun was just starting to set. Everything was going beautifully and Samara could not be more happier. She had worked so hard to set this up, and it had taken so much money for her to get this all together. She had even gone so far as to ask her father if she could borrow money. Of course she didn't tell him that it was for their date; she had actually told her daddy it was for her rent....which Samara had paid in advance.

"Yes," she smiled. "And have I told you how handsome you are? And how lucky I am that you chose to be mine? You have no idea how much I love you Gareth Winter..."

Gently she leaned over the table and pressed her lips to his own. He was so handsome and she just adored every bit of him. There was nothing about Gareth Winter that Samara Bailey did not love, even his flaws were adorable to her. Slowly pulling back so that she was sitting once more she smiled and looked out at the ocean. Maybe she would convince Gar to go for a quick swim after they finished with their meal. Sammy loved the beach, she always pictured getting married on one during the night of a full moon.

Gareth's blue eyes followed Sam's to the water that flowed out to the horizon and the setting sun. It seemed that it went on forever, just like his love for the woman sitting next to him. The woman currently wearing the ring that he'd bought after going through at least five jewelry stores to find. It suited her perfectly and he smiled as it sparkled in the remaining light, catching his attention.

He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it again, his eyes meeting hers. Why was it that she loved him? He'd not done anything special. He'd just fallen in love with her, but he felt that she was so far out of his league that he shouldn't have even tried. But he'd taken the chance, and it was the best decision of his life, because he was now engaged to the wonderful woman that had taken his heart.

He raised out of his seat to kiss her again and smiled at her softly. He had to admit that he'd never been happier in his life than since she'd said the three words to him that he'd wanted to hear so badly. The three words that would always make his heart swell with happiness. I love you.

Gareth turned his attention to the table now and smiled even more broadly. She had remembered! His favorite meal was on the plate in front of him and he squeezed Sam's hand gently, now even more touched than he'd been when he'd arrived at the beach.

"Sam, you are the most wonderful woman I've ever known. Thank you for this." He leaned toward her to kiss her again. "I love you."

Samara smiled and leaning forward as well pressed a warm kiss to his lips. He was so tender with her, so wonderful and Samara loved him every day. How did she manage to get him? And how had they managed to not date sooner? They had loved one another for so long apparently, and yet they never dated...they hid from one another and missed so many years that could have been spent in happiness.

"I know you do," she smiled, stroking the top of his hand with her thumb. "So...I was thinking that I might want to get my own book published."

She knew that it was random, but they needed something else to talk about besides their love for one another. Of course the love they had for one another was important seeing as it was their anniversary; but they didn't have to tell one another that they loved each other every five minutes.

"And you?" she smiled. "How is work going? Is Chase Michaels working you to the bone? You always come home so late and tired now."

Gareth swallowed the bite in his mouth with a small shrug. True, he was being worked hard, but it was no more than he'd expected.

"It's not so bad," he said. "I know that I'm always tired, but what with all the work that we are both doing, it's surprising that you aren't as exhausted as I am at the end of your day." He smiled softly at her and scooted his chair closer to her.

"I think you should publish your book, Sam. You are an amazing writer, and the whole world should know it." He didn't know if she'd agree with him, but he was telling her the truth. At least, the truth to him. He felt that she'd gained her father's talent for writing. And he did believe that the rest of the planet should know her talent as he did.

His head turned toward the music as one of the songs that he loved to dance with her to began to play. With a smile, he took her hand and led her away from the table, wrapping her in his arms.

"Dinner will keep just a few more minutes, Sam. I wanted to dance with you again." He bent his head and kissed her gently, thinking that he didn't know how he was so lucky as to be with her, and to be the one that she wanted to be with in return. Another thought came to his mind that he'd tell her more about his job when they sat down again. Now he just wanted to dance with her.

Samara sighed as they began to dance and she looked out at the see. Her eyes widened and she felt herself cringe. She could not believe what she was seeing, and she almost begged that it would not happen. There just couldn't be a storm cloud coming towards them! The weather man predicted sun shine and warm weather! How could this be fair?! She had worked so hard on all of this and now it was going to rain! She knew that because they lived in England she should expect rain...but it still didn't make her any less pissed off! Sighing she rested her head on his shoulder and cringed as a large drop of water landed on her nose, and then another on her head, and another, and another, and pretty soon her and Gareth were standing in a downpour and the waves were slapping, loudly, against the shore.

Tears of frustration filled her eyes as their picnic was drenched and ruined. The candles lost their flame, Samara's makeup smeared all down her face, and their music stopped playing. She was so angry that she couldn't even say anything, all she could do was stand there and hold onto Gareth, praying that she wouldn't go and murder someone.

Still remaining silent she watched as the water mixed in their wine glasses and the sand around them turned to a thick, muddy, mess. She was going to lose her mind in the next five minutes...and poor Gareth would be at the brunt of it.

Gareth looked up as the heavens opened and it started pouring on them. Well, this was interesting. The weather report hadn't said anything about rain. He sensed from Sam's reaction that she was not happy about this development. He didn't mind, really, it made it even more romantic in his mind. He didn't know why, but the idea of the two of them embracing on the beach in the rain seemed very romantic to him.

He pulled out his wand and vanished the set up that she'd worked so hard on for him, sending it to their flat so that it wouldn't be totally destroyed, and conjured a large awning, with a blanket to protect them from the sand if they wanted to sit down. The sides of the awning were able to be dropped to shelter them if they wished.

Gareth released Sam and knelt down, removing his shoes and socks and rolling up his pant legs, then took off Sam's shoes as well. Then he stood up and pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, wiping the tears from her eyes, and cleaned her makeup from her cheeks. She was beautiful to him, no matter how bad she thought she looked, but he knew that she'd be upset if she caught a glimpse of herself later and known that he'd seen her that way for as long as he did.

"See, Love? Our evening doesn't have to be ruined. Everything is safe at home, and we are sheltered from the rain, unless you want to go for a walk with me in it. Or we can just settle on the blanket and talk, since it's still quite warm. And I can bring another blanket from home if you get cold."

Sam smiled half-heartedly and sat down on the blanket. She knew that Gareth was trying to fix everything and make it all better but it didn't take away completely from the disappointment she felt. She was upset that her dinner had been ruined when she had worked so hard to prepare it. She had worked very hard on that meal and it got all soggy and rain drenched like nothing. Pulling her knees up to her chest she rested her head on top of them and closed her eyes. She was happy that Gareth tried to fix it, but it had been her idea and she had wanted it go as planned.

Sniffling she listened as the rain began to pound above them and get stronger and stronger. She wished she had a signal because she would have checked the weather report. Samara knew they could just apparate home but she really didn't want to. At this point she was quite content with just moping and complaining about how their perfect anniversary had been ruined. Gently taking his hand she pulled it so that it rested under her face while she sat curled up into a tiny ball.

Gar had such warm, soft, hands. She thought it was so cute...and they always cupped her cheek in comfort when she felt sad or sick. Now she felt sad, so that meant that she needed his hands to make her feel better. Closing her eyes she felt tears roll down her cheeks and into his palm. Today was supposed to be perfect.

Gareth felt his heart clench. Poor Sam. She'd worked so hard and now thought that their evening had been ruined by the stupid rain. He'd done his best to protect them from the weather, they'd not gotten too wet before he'd created the awning, but he was sure that all the work she'd gone to on their dinner was destroyed, and that was the reason she was so sad now. He wished he knew what to do to make her feel better, but he thought that she wanted to be sad for the moment. He was content to be there with her, just comforting her as best as he could for the rest of the evening if she wanted, but he felt so bad for her when she was sad.

He brought his other hand to her free cheek and cupped it as she'd done with his first, turned her face to his and kissed her softly. He was there for her, as he would be until the day he had to leave her. He didn't want her to be sad, but he didn't know how to make her happy again, other than to just stay with her there.

He looked up at the awning as the rain started to come down a bit harder and was glad for their awning even more now. He'd made sure that it was leak proof, wind proof, if need be, and they were able to drop the sides if the rain shifted direction.

"Sam.... I'm not disappointed in our evening. I know that you wanted it to be perfect for me, and knowing that you went to the trouble to do this for me at all is more than enough. I'm so sorry that we got rained out, it made you sad."

He kissed her again and lay her head on his shoulder, resting his cheek against her soft hair, his fingers twining with hers on the blanket.

Samara gently cuddled her Gareth and closed her eyes. If anything she was just happy that they were together. She was starting to not care about the rain anymore, as a matter of fact she was starting to think that it was a good thing it rained. Because now her and Gareth could cuddle and snuggle one another. Granted, they probably would have regardless...but this seemed to be a little more romantic. Almost like they were in their own little movie. Smiling gently she held Gareth's hand in her own and watched as the rain flooded around them.

"It's really coming down," she said softly. "I'm sorry...I thought it was going to be clear and beautiful...that's what the weather man had said, anyway."

Samara was going to find that lying weather man and curse him into oblivion and she would be especially angry if she found out that tomorrow would be clearer than it was SUPPOSED to be currently. Closing her eyes she listed as the rain pelted the awning. She hoped no muggles saw Gareth cast that spell, otherwise they were going to be in some deep shit.

"Gar...I want to talk to you about something important." she said turning slightly to look at him. "About you and me...and what I want to do next year when I turn eighteen."

She had thought about this long and hard and now she was certain that she wanted to do it. She wanted Gareth and her to do this because she felt that they were the best people for it...and nothing anyone would ever say would change her mind.

"Gareth...when I turn eighteen I think you and I should have our first baby."

Gareth's eyes widened in surprise. Sam wanted a baby with him? When she was eighteen? He didn't know what to think at first. He wanted to marry Sam so much, and spend the rest of his life with her, but he'd not thought about the idea of children just yet. But now that she'd brought up the subject, his mind was filled with the thoughts of tiny little replicas of the woman sitting next to him. Continuing to think about them made him smile. He could actually see this happening just as she wanted it to.

He turned to look at her, searching her brown eyes with his, and trying to imagine how his future children would ever look like him instead of her. That, he just couldn't picture. All he could see were miniscule Sams. Of course he knew that she was probably seeing their children looking like him and him alone, but for some reason, he just couldn't. He leaned closer to her, meeting her lips with his, closing his eyes and thinking about if he wanted what she did.

That was a question that was beyond stupid. Of course he did. He wanted nothing more than to marry Sam, and spend his life making her happy, and children were part of marriage. And he wanted to have every part of a marriage with her. He wanted to have children with her. He wanted it very much.

Pulling his head back to look in her eyes again, he smiled softly. "Sam, aside from marrying you, nothing could make me happier."

Samara smiled gently and curled into Gareth further. They were going to have a beautiful family and live happily ever after. She was living one of her father's romance novels. She was living a fairy tale and Gareth was her knight in shining armor. She loved him so much that words would never describe it and she just could not wait for them to get married. Of course...they still needed to tell her dad about her engagement...and now she needed to tell him that she planned on getting knocked up at eighteen. She decided she would wait until after his surgery and recovery. At least then her daddy could try and fight back and not have to worry about passing out or dying.

"We are going to need to talk to your folks about this..." she whispered. "And I'm pretty sure Cambria will not appreciate you impregnating me...but I really want this Gareth. I have never wanted something so bad in all of my life. Having your baby will make me the happiest girl in the world."

Smiling she gently straddled him and began kissing him softly. There was just one thing they needed to take care of...and that was getting Gareth to have sex with her without being scared. She knew that this was a bit public, but Samara kind of liked the rush that came with it.

"Make love to me Gareth Winter," she whispered. "Be my first."

Gareth's blue eyes widened slightly. Was he hearing her correctly? She wanted him to...... And now? Right where they were? He looked around them and found that the stretch of beach was completely deserted, save for them. They were pretty well secluded from view of the road, but he didn't want to take the chance of them being seen at any rate. He wanted Sam to have exactly what she wanted, but he didn't want her to be embarrassed. Well, there were two ways to take care of that. One, he could simply lower the sides of the awning, and make it into a sort of tent, or he could take her home. But he didn't know if she would change her mind if they left the beach. He took out his wand and dropped the sides of the awning, making it much darker in the twelve foot section that they were occupying.

Gar lit the end of his wand, looking at Sam in the dim light. He could barely see her. He pulled a coin from his pocket and transfigured it to a lamp, lighting it and standing to hang it from the hook in the ceiling, then sitting down next to her once more. He felt his hip brush something as he did and looked behind him. It was the bag that he'd brought with him to their dinner. Somehow, it had remained completely dry. But he no longer cared about the bag, or its contents. He pushed it aside, tucking it into a corner of their tent and turned back to Sam.

"Sam," he said, beckoning her with his finger. "Come here." He tugged her gently onto his lap and kissed her softly, hesitantly at first, then building up the courage he knew he had in him to show her that he wasn't afraid anymore. He wanted to be with her, to show her how much he loved her.

"I love you, Sam," he whispered, pulling her hands up to his shirt. "And I'm ready to show you how much."

Samara smiled up at Gareth and gently rubbed the fabric of his shirt. He was so sexy and tonight would be their first night making love. She was so excited, so ready, so nervous. But she knew that Gareth would be gentle and take very good care of her. Gareth took care of her now, so she trusted him with doing what would make both her and him feel good. Smiling at him she gently pressed her lips against his once more and removed his shirt.

"We can go as slow as we need to..." she smiled gently kissing his chest. "We have the rest of eternity for this baby."



Samara looked up at the roof of their canopy, holding Gareth's hand. It had hurt a bit at first and she had began crying through some of it...but the pressed on and Samara was pretty damn sure that she was going to want to have sex again soon. It had felt right and Samara knew that from this day forward she had been promised to him. She had given all of herself to her beloved and didn't want anything back. It had been her first, it had been perfect, it had been a dream come true.

Gareth's heart was beating like a humming bird's wings. He'd been so nervous, excited, and so very much in love with the wonderful woman at his side. He couldn't have imagined anything being as amazing as what Sam had just given him. He was so touched that he thought he would cry, but he didn't want her to think that he believed they'd made a mistake. He could never have thought that of what they had just experienced together.

He looked down to where she was holding his hand, smiling at the ring glittering on her finger. He brought the hand up to his lips and kissed the back of it tenderly, then rolled onto his side, facing her, and pulled her into his arms to keep her warm. The rain was still falling as hard as it had been before, but the sound just now penetrated his mind. It seemed that they were going to be here for a while, unless they wanted to Apprarate home, or to the car at the very least.

He kissed Sam's temple softly, feeling so much love for her in his heart. He didn't think that he could love her any more than he already had, but making love with her had proven him wrong. He now had something new to cherish. She'd given him such a precious gift, and he would forever treasure it in his heart. He reached up and turned her face to him so that he could kiss her lips, then looked into her beautiful eyes.

"How do you feel, love?" he whispered to her. He hoped that he'd not hurt her more than had been unavoidable, and that she'd not want to retreat from him now.

Samara cuddled her fiance and sighed. She felt really sore, but she was sure that was something normal. She was not very experienced when it came to sex. Her and Gareth had fooled around before, but nothing this passionate. She knew that she would feel it tomorrow, but that was okay. She wanted to be in this kind of agony forever...just so she could be reminded of how much Gareth meant to her. Her first...he had been her first and she loved every minute of it. She was sure that he had enjoyed himself as well, but she wasn't going to ruin the romance of it and ask him about it. Maybe tomorrow she would ask if he thought that she was good in bed...but at the moment she was just content with laying in his arms for the rest of eternity.

"It was wonderful baby," she whispered, softly. "I'm a little sore...but that's okay. It will go away soon."

And in a way Sam didn't want it to. It felt good to her...and she knew that Gareth and her would have to try sex again some time soon. But now they had something they needed to take care of and that was telling her father that she was engaged. He did not know, and to hide it from him Samara wouldn't even wear her engagement ring around him. She had explained to Gareth that it was because she was scared of making her father sicker then what he already was. She didn't want to be the reason his heart failed him completely. She would never be able to live with herself if that happened.

"Gareth...we are going to have to tell my father at some point..." she whispered. "Any ideas on how we should go about it?"

Gareth shivered as a light breeze fluttered through the opening of their tent, and conjured another blanket to cover them with. Pulling her closer to him, he also conjured their pillows from their bed and snuggled against her comfortably.

"I think that we should just tell him the truth, love. He wants you to be happy, and I think he'll be able to handle it. If it makes you feel better, though, we can wait until after his opperation."

He didn't want to worry Alex any more than he had to be, so he didn't konw if he was ready to tell them everything that had happened so far. He knew that the couple lived together, but not that they were married, and certainly not that they had just been each other's first lover. But for Gareth, his first would be his last and only as well. He wondered if Sam was interested in whether he'd enjoyed himself. He was more concerned for her, since it was worse for the woman when she lost her virginity.

"Sam, whatever you want to tell him, and whenever you want to, I'll be with you. We are both part of this, and we should both be there to tell him."

He kissed her softly, stroking her hair from her eyes. She was so precious to him, he wanted to just stay here with her forever. He definitely wanted to have sex again, but he wasn't going to press Sam for it. He would never press her for anything. Not on what to tell her father, and certainly not on anything physical.

"Baby, what do you want to do right now? Do you want to tell your dad anything?"

Sam sighed, she really didn't want to think about talking to her father about sex just after having it. But she also didn't want to keep him in the dark for too long. She wanted to have him involved and be happy...but she was scared it would make him sicker then what he was. She wanted him to live a long and healthy life... her adding the stress of her marriage would not aid him in doing so.

"I don't know Gareth..." she sighed. "I know we need to tell him, but I'm scared. I'm scared that he will get sick...we need to wait until he has healed and then we can tell him. If he were to die...and it be all of my fault..."

She broke off as tears swelled in her eyes. She couldn't imagine life without her daddy, she loved him so much and the thought of him being gone just tore her up inside. For years it had been just Sam and her father. He wasn't just her daddy, but he was her best friend. When she needed something she knew that she could go to him with it...but she had to be careful; because sometimes the things she had to tell him were a bit much for him to handle.

"Let's just wait..." she sniffled. "We can think about it more later...right now this is our anniversary...we don't need to worry about anyone other then us."

Gareth kissed Sam softly, knowing that her fear was more than valid. Her father was so fragile right now, and he needed to heal before they tried to spring something as monumental as an engagement upon him. That might make him have a relapse, or..... Oh, he didn't want to think about it. Sam was right. There was time to talk about it later. Now it was their time. They had been together for a year today, and it was a time to celebrate. They already had, of course, but he didn't want her to think that what they had shared had been the most important part to him.

He loved Sam with all his heart. With all that he was, and she'd shown him that she felt the same way, and he'd cherish that, and her for the rest of his days. He raised his head, adjusting the blanket to ensure that they were both covered, and lay his head back down, smiling at her softly in the darkening light. Their lantern was about to go out, but he found that he didn't care. He had the woman he loved in his arms at that moment, and he didn't mind that it was getting dark outside, especially since it was still raining. He found himself wondering if it was going to continue through the night. If so, he was glad that it was a Friday, and they would have the whole weekend to spend together.

"Sam, I am very happy that today was our anniversary. And I hope that we have a celebration with every one after this as well. Not just our wedding day, but the day that we found each other, and said that we love each other. Does that sound like something that we can do?"

Samara looked up at Gareth and closed her eyes against him pretending to be asleep. She wasn't going to talk anymore, mostly because she was perfectly content lying next to her fiance. All she wanted to do was listen to the sound of the sea slapping against the shore with its forceful splat. The rain outside was still pounding heavily on the tent they had hid themselves under...but so far it was just the icing on the romance cake. Snuggling farther into his chest she began to doze. She just wanted to fall asleep in his arms. Granted that was nothing new...but this romantic atmosphere was. She loved him so much and words would never justly describe it...so she wasn't even going to try and form the right words.

Gently pressing her lips against his arm she kissed him and began drifting back off to sleep. She would never get a lover like Gareth again...so she refused to let him go now. Samara would never let anyone else have him, would never move on from him, and if he ever left her she was sure that she would throw herself into the sea to drown and never be seen again. Her love for him was more than what Shakespeare could comprehend...more then what she could comprehend herself...but she knew enough that this would be the one and only time she ever felt a love like this...Samara knew that it wasn't possible.

And it was with this final thought that she was able to lull herself to sleep...able to dream about her beloved...able to live knowing that her life was in the hands of a man that loved her more than words would ever properly express.