Work Text:
A Tribute to the King
by Pirates Sparrow and Turner
Gage closed his eyes against the pain before turning and making his way back to the stage. Pasting on a smile, he said, "You win some; you lose some! Even the King had trouble with love." He began to strum his guitar softly and sing "Love Me Tender" with such feeling that several of the women in the audience swooned.
Love me tender,
love me sweet,
never let me go.
You have made my life complete,
and I love you so.
Inside Gage was all broken up and crying; outside he was the King, broken heart and all. No one knew the pain he felt, and no one saw the tears.
Love me tender, love me true
All my dreams fulfill
For my darlin' I love you
And I always will
Although she had fled to the bar to attempt an escape, Sydney could still hear her partner's sexy voice crooning into the microphone. Her heart refused to settle even as she reached out blindly, grabbed a drink that she did not even know what was, and drank it down in one gulp. She knew she had hurt him, but what could she do? She could never tell him the truth for the truth would only open them up to a whole new world that she knew, in the end, would only prove to be full of hurt.
"How could you do that to him?!" an angry voice hissed from directly behind her.
Love me tender, love me long
Take me to your heart
For it's there that I belong
And we'll never part
Sydney whirled around to face an angry blonde. Brown eyes stared defiantly up into a pair of angry baby blues. "Do what to who?"
"Don't play games with me, you little bitch," the blonde snarled. Sydney's hands instantly balled into fists, but she fought the instinct. "How could you hurt the King that way?! I should just go up there myself and show him how a real woman treats a man like him!"
Sydney took a step closer to the blonde, closing the small distance between them as she did so. Their eyes blazed as they stared at each other. When the undercover Ranger spoke again, her voice was colder than Arctic ice. "Not that it's any of your business," she ground out between clenched teeth, "but don't you dare come assaulting me for letting him down when I had no other choice. You have no idea where we come from or why I can't let him know that I love him." After a heartbeat's hesitation, Sydney spoke again; the words that left her lips this time pained her heart even more. "Maybe you should go to him. You'd probably end up being better for him than I am."
The surprised blonde's mouth opened, but no words came out. "But unless you're just looking for trouble," Sydney warned, "I suggest you leave me alone right now." She then pushed past the blonde and headed for the back of the casino. She had to get some air, clear her mind, and at least attempt to calm her heart.
Love me tender, love me true
All my dreams fulfill
For my darlin' I love you
And I always will
Sydney's heart had been so filled with pain and anguish that she had completely forgotten about the microphone embedded in her name tag. In an unmarked van waiting in the shadows outside, Rangers Walker and Trivette hurriedly tried to recover from their shock at everything they had just heard between Gage and Syd. "I told you!" Trivette exclaimed, looking up at his partner from the powerful computer console before him.
"Damn," Walker muttered. "I never would have thought it." He then winced. "Poor Gage! I've been there, but I've never been foolish enough to try anything like Elvis on Alex."
"And, boy, she let him have it," Trivette interjected.
Walker nodded in both agreement and sympathy for their friend. "Ouch!"
"At least we know why, but he doesn't have the first clue."
"I don't get it, though. They've worked together for even longer than we've known them, and they're best friends. Why would she be so afraid to tell him how she feels?" Confusion crossed the Ranger's brow even as his partner shrugged.
Love me tender, love me long
Take me to your heart
For it's there that I belong
And we'll never part
"I don't know," Trivette said with a shrug, "but there is something we can do to help him out."
"What's that?" Walker immediately wanted to know.
"Just watch," Trivette said as he turned back to the console. His fingers flew over the keyboard as he typed in several commands until finally announcing, "There."
"What?" Walker asked, clearly confused. "What did you do?"
"I'm feeding what broadcasts over Syd's comm into Gage's. He'll be able to hear her, but she won't be able to hear him unless he wants to. If he does, I'll fix it up the rest of the way."
"But that still won't tell him that she loves him. Syd didn't mean to slip up like that, and it's highly unlikely that she'll slip up again, especially so soon."
"Doesn't matter," Trivette told his partner. "I'm recording everything that's said in case we need it for later. I fed that conversation into his comm, too; it's playing now."
Love me tender, love me true
All my dreams fulfill
For my darlin' I love you
And I always will
Love me tender, love me dear
Tell me you are mine
I'll be yours through all the years
Till the end of time
Love me tender, love me true
All my dreams fulfill
For my darlin' I love you
And I always will
Gage couldn't believe what he was hearing, but there was no mistaking Syd's voice. His shock almost cost him to mess up with his song, but his joy shone on his face like a beacon. He finished the song he was singing and began a new one called "Love Me".
Treat me like a fool,
Treat me mean and cruel,
But love me.
His heart sang all the while: She loves me! {May the Gods bless Trivette for telling me so. I owe him a big one.} He continued singing, wondering where Syd had gone. He had a break when he finished this song. If she had not returned by then, he'd go in search of her.
Wring my faithful heart,
Tear it all apart,
But love me.
Sydney stepped out into the cool night air, closing the door behind her, only to hear a cruel voice snarl, "Well, well, whatta we have here?"
At the sound of the stranger's voice, the Ranger's head instantly snapped up, and her eyes flitted wildly around as she quickly took in the situation she had walked into. Motorcycles were parked in the alley's shadows, but she couldn't tell how many. A group of thugs surrounded the front of a car where a man in an expensive suit stuck out like a sore thumb. She had just walked straight into the deal Gage and she had been working so hard to stop. "I-I-I," she stuttered nervously at first before exclaiming so quickly that the rest of the sentence nearly seemed to be one long word, "can go back in if you like!"
"Get 'er, boys." Instantly, two thugs rushed at her from either side, but just as one swung at her, she dodged, sending the thug's massive fist crashing into his companion's gut. Even as the hit man crumpled to the ground, clutching his stomach in pain, his friend apologized profusely but continued after Sydney. Sydney again blocked his attack and then knocked him to the ground with two lightning-swift roundhouse kicks.
If you ever go,
Darling, I'll be oh so lonely
I'll be sad and blue,
Crying over you, dear only.
As soon as the leader had given his command, Walker had left the van. Trivette hesitated only long enough to tell Gage through the communicator, "Gage, Syd's in trouble. We've gotta find her! Walker's already headed in, and I'm coming." He then swiftly left the van.
I would beg and steal
Just to feel your heart
Beatin' close to mine
With his heart in his throat, Gage faltered in his song. Looking out at the audience, he said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sorry. I just can't go on right now. I've gotta break. I'll be back in thirty, and I'll do this song from the beginning again. Thank you for baring with me." Leaving his guitar in his chair, he almost leaped off of the stage. Racing toward the back door and the alley way -- he just had to reach Syd in time for if anything happened to her, it would kill him.
Even as she landed smoothly on her feet, a third grabbed her from behind, but even as he called, "Got her, boss!", Sydney flipped him over her shorter frame, sending him crashing down on top of the second guy just as he had been struggling to rise again. She turned swiftly only to see a fourth guy rushing at her, thrusting wildly towards her with a dagger. She dodged each thrust, however, until finally managing to kick the weapon from his hand. He rushed at her then, but she leapt upwards and met his ugly face with a flying forward kick.
As she landed again, though, she heard the Click of a gun. Her brown eyes darted instantly to the source of the sound, and she froze as she saw the gun pointing straight at her. The man's lips pulled back into a twisted half-snarl, half-grin, and an evil gleam lit up his eyes as he began to pull the trigger . . .
As Sydney stared at the gun, praying that she could find a way to dodge the bullet, her mind again turned to Gage. If she died now, their friendship and partnership would still be safe, but he would forever think that she had never loved him though nothing could be further from the truth.
He opened the door and stepped quietly into the alley way. Taking the situation in with one glance, he immediately leaped into a flying roundhouse kick, connecting with the head of the man who held the gun and just about kicking his head off. The villain fired the gun, but it did not find its mark as it ricocheted off the surrounding walls. Gage immediately began to grab anything that was near him, tossing and beating the crap out of it. He was like a Texas tornado, and nothing stood a chance in his pathway. Only Syd mattered. He didn't care that the deal had gone bad. He just wanted his Syd safe.
She didn't know where he had came from, but as Gage leapt into the battle, relief and gratitude swarmed over Sydney's soul. Gage's kick caused the shooter to fall back and the bullet to go wild. She would live, and as long as she lived, she still had a chance to tell Gage how she truly felt and to be with him even if it would not last.
Even as the thoughts swept over her, another man charged at her. She prepared to defend herself, but even as she did, a blur of black collided straight into him. Sydney's relieved smile brightened even more as another blur connected with another biker on her other side. The deal may have gone bad, but they would still take them down. Her friends -- her family were there, and together they could accomplish anything.
It was at that moment that she caught sight of another biker attempting to sneak up on her partner, and the Texas Ranger flew back into action. She sprinted across the short distance, sailing into the air with enough momentum to easily enable her feet to send the man who would attempt to hurt her beloved crashing backwards into the hard, brick wall. Most importantly of all, she had been granted more time with the man she loved and another chance to tell him the truth of her feelings should she ever manage to gather enough courage to take such a huge risk. Sydney landed smoothly on the ground, her back to her partner's, and continued to fight.
Gage had been busy with another biker at the moment that he was attacked. He was relieved that Syd had taken care of that one. She was now at his back, one of his favorite fighting positions because it left him open to be himself while he knew his back was covered. The fighting grew hot and heavy but finally seemed to be at an end. Gage took the biker that he was holding and threw him into the pile of other bikers.
He then turned to face Syd. "Thanks, beautiful, for saving my life," he spoke huskily, looking at her and wanting to do much more than just thank her. He wanted to reach out, pull her close to him, and kiss her, but he would not make the first move, at least not yet. He wanted to give her time to get over the rush of the fight. He knew they had to do a lot of talking and get things straightened out. He had no ideal what was holding her back from being true to their relationship, but he had every intention of finding out.
He knew he was cut and bruised in many places, and there was some kind of a wound on his forehead that was trickling a slight amount of blood that ran down between his eyes. It was more annoyance than painful, and he didn't remember getting hit there. He swiped angrily at it even as he watched other Texas Rangers swarm into the alley, collecting the prisoners. He could hear Rangers reading the rights to their prisoners as they walked. It was then that everything caught up with him, and he sat down hard on the concrete.
He seemed to be very dizzy, and as he looked at the others, they seemed like they were further and further away from them. He felt himself falling, and then he wondered how he had came to be sitting down on the concrete. He seemed to be tired all of a sudden and excessively sleepy. It was then he heard the voices that seemed to be far, far away. He didn't know what was happening, but he knew everything was all right.
There was so much she had wanted to tell him. She had wanted to thank him for saving her life for a change. She had needed to make certain he was all right though not so much from the brawl as from the way she knew she had so terribly hurt him earlier. Her heart had begged her to tell him she loved him, but as always, her brain had solidly refused to allow it. There had been so much she had wanted to say to him, and yet, as she had turned to watch the other Rangers collecting the prisoners, Sydney had not dared say even one word.
When she had finally gathered her courage and wits enough to look back at him, the icy fingers of terror had clutched her heart so tightly that her brain had to remind her lungs to breathe. Just one look at his paled, bleeding, and bruised face had told her that something terrible was wrong. "Gage?" she had called to him, fighting to keep her fear from showing. "Gage, what's wrong?"
Even as he had swiped at the blood running between his eyes, she had torn a piece of fabric from her shirt without ever taking her eyes from him. "Gage?" she had continued to speak to him, her heart thundering, even as he had fell to the concrete. "Walker!" She did not even hear her own voice yell for help as she swiftly knelt before Gage. Her hands gently reached out to her beloved partner; she used one hand to steady him as her other hand began to softly wipe the blood from his face. Despite being so riddled with cuts and bruises, he was still the most handsome man she had ever seen. "Gage?" she questioned him again. "Talk to me!"
She had not even heard the swift footsteps pounding the concrete as their friends had rejoined them. "He got kicked in the forehead with a spiked boot in the fight," Walker told Syd hurriedly as he knelt beside her.
From behind them, Trivette let out a low whistle. "Good thing his head's nearly as hard as yours, Walker!" Despite his exclamation, no one grinned.
Ignoring his partner, Walker held up two fingers before Gage's dazed eyes. "Gage," he spoke to him, "how many fingers am I holding up?"
Gage's eyes were so blurred that he could not see how many fingers it was. It looked like a whole fistful. He looked at Walker with a questioning look and hung his head like a drunk would do. "I don't even remember getting hit." His hand reached up, grasping Syd's hand. He pulled it down and kissed it. "I'm glad you're okay, Syd. You wanna help me get to my feet? I seem to be drunk. I didn't see any of Walker's fingers. Looked like he had a fist in my face."
"You're not moving," Walker and Sydney spoke simultaneously, their firm voices leaving no room for questioning. Even as Walker's eyes darted meaningfully to his partner, Sydney added more gently, "You're not drunk, Gage. You're hurt, and you're not going anywhere until the medic says it's okay." Meanwhile, Walker's silent look had been the only command Trivette had needed to jump to his feet and race off to find a medic.
"Oh. That's what happened. Glad it was me and not any of you. Is it okay if I take a nap now?" he asked hopefully. He figured that if he took a nap, when he woke up, he'd feel a lot better. He tried to remember when he had slept good last, and he couldn't.
Knowing the pull they had on one another and that she would not allow Gage to do anything to further endanger himself, Walker chose to let Sydney answer the younger Ranger's question. "You can't," Syd spoke gently yet firmly. "Look at me, Gage. You can't go to sleep -- not now, not yet. Talk to me." Her fear-filled heart continued to pound maddeningly against her ribcage until her body seemed to her to reverberate from its fierce beating. "Let's talk until the medic gets here," she added more gently.
"What you want to talk about?" Gage asked, knowing what he wanted to talk about was not what she wanted to talk about.
Sydney paused. There was only one thing she truly wanted to talk about, but she knew she could not allow herself to. She glanced from him to the crowd of Rangers, medics, and prisoners which Trivette had disappeared into in his search for a medic as she realized that she did not know how just badly he was hurt. What if he had saved her only to give her one more chance at telling him the truth? He wasn't dying, but even that thought repeating through her mind could not deter the question that tore at her heart.
Besides, what if he didn't want to hold on? What if she had hurt him so badly that, now that she was safe, he didn't want to fight for himself? What if she admitted the truth to him only to have him get well and them begin to date just to have something terrible happen that would split them forever? What if she lost him then? Would it make it any better to lose him later after having him as much as she knew they both longed for than it would to lose him without ever telling him how she truly felt about him, that she loved him?
The questions pounded away at her mind and heart with the same fierce force of tidal waves crashing against a crumbling mountain. Sydney blinked suddenly as she found wise eyes looking into her own. When she looked again, she realized that Walker stood before her. "I'm going to go help Trivette find that medic. You take care of Gage." Although his words were simple, she was surprised at the knowing and affirming wisdom she found in those eyes. {It must be that Shaman thing that Trivette's mentioned,} she thought even as she nodded once to him.
Looking back at Gage, she found his eyes drifting shut and shook him just enough to keep awake but careful that the shaking did not harm him any further. "Gage, open those eyes. Look at me, handsome," the word blurted from her lips before she could stop its escape.
Had his ears deceived him, or had Syd just called him handsome? The one word thrilled his heart. Maybe she was softening up just a little toward him? "I think I'm in trouble, Syd," he said as his mind flitted on to the job he was supposed to be doing. "I told them I'd be back in thirty minutes. They're going to get very restless."
"I was supposed to come back and finish singing a song I had started. I think I'll sing it for you. That'll keep me awake," he said just barely loud enough that she could hear him. Sleep seemed to be calling to him even more. Maybe he had already fallen asleep? Maybe this was a dream? He began to sing the words softly for her ears only.
Treat me like a fool,
Treat me mean and cruel,
But love me.
Wring my faithful heart,
Tear it all apart,
But love me.
The words that his sexy voice sang to her in a soft whisper tore at her heart. She hated herself for the way she had treated him, but what other choice had she had? The absolute last thing she ever wanted to do was to lose him, and she would do anything to keep that from happening. In their current lifestyle, she risked losing him every time they fought, but she was there to watch his back.
However, if she was to admit her feelings to him, although she could continue to watch his back, who could watch them to make certain they would not break the other's heart? She knew that he would never intentionally harm her any more than she would him, but she knew accidents happened and had never been one to believe in "happy ever after" or true love. Such things were only real in fairy tales, and the dangerous life they shared was nothing even remotely approaching a fairy tale.
If you ever go,
Darling, I'll be oh so lonely
I'll be sad and blue,
Crying over you, dear only.
I would beg and steal
Just to feel your heart
Beatin' close to mine
Yet, despite her brain's warnings, every fiber of her being longed to be with him nearly as much as she did not want to lose him. She would do anything to be with him -- anything but allow herself to lose him. From the time that they had first met, she had began falling for him though she'd only once allowed it to show. Since then, she had continued to fall for him until he had became everything to her. He completed her, and without him, she was not only nothing but she did not even want to be anything without him. Without Gage in her life, her world had no meaning. {Talk about your Catch 42s,} she thought sourly. There was only one thing that she wanted more than to be able to be openly in love with him, and that one thing was the one thing that kept her from being able to be with him in such a manner -- her burning desire and need to never lose him.
Well, if you ever go,
Darling, I'll be oh so lonely
I'll be sad and blue,
Crying over you, dear only.
I would beg and steal
Just to feel your heart
Beatin' close to mine
Suddenly, the words froze on his tongue. He didn't want to just tell her how he felt. He wanted to show her. She was crouched near enough to him that all he had to do was to reach out and snag her and he'd have her. With a last burst of strength, he pulled her to him, and his lips sought hers, attempting to tell her more than even the King's words could tell her as to how he felt.
Her mind and heart had still been arguing fiercely when he had suddenly reached out to her. Lost in his words and sexy eyes just as much as she was in her own thoughts, Sydney did not struggle to pull away from him. His lips touched hers, and she froze. Although the kiss began gently, he grew to be kissing her with more passion than she had ever before even imagined, and her screaming mind was finally silenced even as the rest of her body went weak from the intense pleasure.
It was in that second that Sydney finally realized the truth. Even if she did end up losing his love, she would still lose him one day. Rather that fateful day would prove to be that day or would come when they were so ancient that they could barely move, no one could possibly know, but whenever it came, there was one thing that could not be changed. She did not want to have him leave her or to leave him herself without Gage ever knowing how she truly felt about him.
Just as Gage had been beginning to doubt the reaction he had dared to hope to bring from the woman he loved more than life itself, Sydney finally began to return the kiss. As she leaned fully into their kiss, the fingers of the hand he grasped entwined with his, and her other hand ran over his muscular shoulder and neck to softly cup his cheek. When he had first kissed her, her eyes had changed from concern to surprise before switching to fear as the silent argument within her had renewed itself with even more passion, but now they gazed lovingly down into his, telling him even more that she did care for him just as deeply as he did for her.
Her lips parted underneath his, silently granting him permission. His tongue slipped smoothly into her mouth, rubbing against her tongue on its way into his mouth and sparking an erotic duel. Without taking her lips from his or even pausing in kissing him, she carefully maneuvered closer to him. Although she was careful not to bump him or harm him any further than he already was, Sydney's body pressed gently against his. Her hand dared to softly caress his bruised cheek as they continued to kiss.
From behind the couple, a soft voice spoke up as a questioning face turned to look up at the tall Ranger beside him. "I thought you said he desperately needed medical attention?"
"He did," Trivette spoke quietly from the medic's other side even as each of the three men continued to stare down at the couple in shock. Slowly, however, although the medic continued to look completely puzzled, grins began to form on the Rangers' lips.
Gage continued to kiss Syd, pledging his undying love to her with every touch of his lips. He barely heard Trivette and the medic arrive. He didn't care if he kept them waiting all day. As long as Syd was kissing him back, his aches and pains were as of nothing compared to the sensations his body was sending him, but he hated having an audience. He broke off the kiss. "Syd, I love you." He hoped her reaction would be the same and that the kiss was not just something that happened on the spur of the moment.
She had been attempting to convince herself to force her lips away from his when Gage's mouth had parted from hers. She could have stayed just like that, kissing him, for the rest of the night and far beyond, but she knew that his injuries had to be seen to. She knew he meant the words he spoke, and her heart was thrilled even more by that knowledge. As her eyes searched his, she saw the questions in his eyes.
Sydney's hand left Gage's only to reach up and caress the other side of his battered cheek. Her eyes did not leave his as she spoke softly to him, not caring if the others heard or not, "You've got to let that medic see to you now." Although she knew he tried, he could not hide the disappointment in his eyes from her.
She inhaled deeply before adding, "I never want to lose you, Francis Gage. I love you. I always have, and I always will." As she finally told him the truth of how she truly felt for him, her dark eyes, filled to overflowing with eternal love and adoration for the solitary man before her, continued to search his.
Sydney leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to Gage's lips once more. Her lips reluctantly left his a second time as she stood and stepped out of the way so that the medic could attend to his injuries. Still, however, her eyes did not leave his and would not until his finally left hers. She had finally done it. She had finally told him the truth. Now, she could only pray that she would not live to regret it.
An instant chill filled Gage's body as Syd moved away from him. He reached his hand toward her. He did not want to let go of her even to the point of just letting her step away for a minute. He pleaded, "Come hold my hand. Don't leave me alone," and waited for her to take his hand. He could face anything the world decided to grow at him as long as he had her.
She glanced questioningly at the medic. Although she wanted to be with Gage, she did not want to prevent him from getting the medical attention he had to have. At the medic's affirming nod, she smiled gratefully at him before returning to her partner's side. Her hand slid smoothly into Gage's in a perfect fit, and her fingers once more entwined with his.
Gage squeezed her hand gently even as the medic began to probe his wound. "I've got to wash this out, and then you're going to require some stitches, buddy. We need to take you to the hospital." Picking up his walky talky, he contacted his partner who wasted no time in sliding around to the end of the alley and backing up to within feet of where Gage was.
Trivette and Walker assisted Gage into the back of the ambulance with him dragging Syd along, not releasing her hand. "See ya, Walker," Gage said with a sigh, "and maybe not too soon." He again squeezed Syd's hand and pulled her to sit beside him on the small bed. The siren wailed out into the night, and Gage could feel the ambulance racing to the hospital. "Is that for me?" he asked with a smile. "All my life, I wanted some fan fare, and this is a heck of a way to get it! At least, Syd, you're with me. I'm not afraid." He kissed her hand.
In a matter of minutes, they were at the hospital and into the Emergency Room where Syd was allowed to remain with him. When they had tried to determine her status with him, Gage had simply told them, "She's my fiancee, and I want her with me," so the staff had not removed her.
A foreign daughter walked in and started muttering stuff in a language Gage didn't understand, but he was very efficient. He made a motion for Gage to lay down on the bed, and Gage did so but still had not released Syd's hand.
The doctor soon had stitched Gage's wound, but he wanted to keep him over night. He did his best to explain it to him, but it took one of the nurses to tell Gage that the doctor wanted him to stay over night. Gage did not want to stay over night. Again, the nurse interpreted for the doctor, telling him that he needed to be watched and should not sleep until they were sure that he was past the danger of concussions.
Gage looked at Syd hopefully. "Don't make me stay, please?" he pleaded.
"Gage," Syd spoke softly, turning once more to gaze back down into his eyes as her hand lifted to lovingly stroke his cheek, "as much as neither of us wants to hear it, they do know what they're talking about. I could watch you, but I don't have the medical expertise to be able to give you the help you'll need if anything goes wrong. I can't let you go until the danger's over." She repeated her words from earlier as she told him again, "I don't want to lose you."
Still gazing down into his eyes, she gave his hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze as she added, "But I'm not going to leave you. Not even the President himself could tear me away from you. I'll stay with you until you don't want me to be with you any longer."
"Then that will be forever, Syd, 'cause I never want to lose you. I want you to be with me forever. I love you. I've always loved you, and I will always love you. I'll be good. I'll stay tonight, but you have to stay in the room with me."
Walker and Trivette, after seeing that Gage was going to have to spend the night, had left to fill out the paperwork. They both wished the young lovers a chance to get closer together.
"The only way they can get me away from you is if they manage to pull my dead fingers from your hand, and that's not happening," she told him with a smile, her eyes shining. "That kiss was no accident, Gage -- neither of them. I love you, and I want to be with you. I just don't want to lose you."
She admitted after a second's hesitation, "That's what kept me from being able to come clean for so long. I hated doing the things I did to you and treating you the way I did more than I could ever tell you, but I didn't think I had a choice. I know neither of us would ever purposefully do anything to hurt the other one, but things happen. I was terrified that, if I allowed myself to let you know how I truly feel about you, something would happen sooner or later to break us up, and then I'd lose you. I'd lose my partner, my best friend, the man I love, the one man that is everything to me."
"I don't want to lose you," she repeated again, her eyes gazing tear-fully down into his, "ever, no matter what. As long as you want me, I'll be with you, and I will never, no matter what, stop loving you. You are in me. Heart and soul, you fill me. Nothing else matters a damn as long as we're together."
Her words thrilled his heart. "Syd, my heart is on fire with love for you. I will love you forever. Things happen, but when two people love each other heart and soul as we do, they are stronger are able to overcome the bad things. I want you beside me always -- to be my partner, to be my friend, to share my life. I guess what I'm trying to say, in my own, awkward way, is will you marry me so that we can be partners in life forever?" He looked deeply into her eyes, waiting for her answer.
Always before, the mere thought of marriage had made her want to go screaming into the night. She had never before dared to believe in happy endings or true love. However, now, as she held gently to him, listening to his words with their eyes gazing into each other's eyes, Sydney Cooke dared to truly believe for the first time in her life. She dared to believe in fairy tales. She dared to believe in happy endings. She dared to believe in soul mates, but most of all, she dared to believe in true love and in the man gazing adoringly up at her.
As the Ranger's mask shattered completely, tears of joy began to run freely down her face even as she smiled brilliantly down at him. Her lips parted to whisper in a barely-audible tone, "Yes." Then, louder, she answered again, "Yes, I'll marry you, Gage! I love you!" She leaned down towards him, carefully holding him, and her lips gently captured his once again.
Gage's heart sang with joy even as his lips kissed his beloved. He could hardly wait until he was out of the hospital and they could actually marry. He wanted to spend the rest of his life, one day at a time, showing Syd just how much he loved her, but for now he was content to just be able to kiss her. He had dreamed of her, longed for her, and now at long last, his prayers had been answered. She was finally his, and there was nothing else Gage wanted out of life but her and to make her happy. Their kiss deepened as their undying love for one another alone poured fully into their lips' heated embrace, carrying them far past the very edge of mortal existence.
The End