Chapter One Hundred – Because of Vesuvius

So far all of the rooms in the apartment had been empty. This one was different. While it was mostly unfurnished there was a small table in the middle of the room. There was a vase of red and yellow roses on each side of the table and a small portable iPod speaker in the middle. When she'd first walked in the room had been silent but now a song was playing. Her nearly numb mind barely registered that it was "Unpack Your Heart" or at least she thought that was what it was called. As she took a step closer to the table she saw that dog treats were scattered across it. Then she spotted the small silver banner spread across the table. After she read the elegant flowing script her mind blanked.

Olivia, will you marry me?

She stared dumbfounded at the table for a long time before slowly turning to face Ben. He was down on one knee in front of her and holding a small black velvet box that Olivia didn't even notice at first. All she could do was stare at his face with her mouth hanging open, completely oblivious to everything else. Her (at the time) barely functioning brain had been running at high speed when Ben had first told her where they were going compared to what it was doing now.

"Olivia, will you marry me?"

It almost sounded like the words were coming to her through a tunnel. She simply couldn't believe what she was hearing and she was barely processing the words. It was as if he was speaking in a foreign language she'd never even heard of before.

Ben remained kneeling on the ground and beamed up at Olivia. This was what he'd been working on for so long. Now the time had finally come. All that was left was to get her answer.

Only she wasn't answering.

She was still simply standing there, unmoving, in front of him. The expression on her face hadn't changed, and she hadn't said a word. He'd expected some hesitation and a long period of silence. What he hadn't expected was silence that lasted this long. As much as it hurt (a pain at a level he couldn't even begin to describe), it was looking like he was going to have to find a way to accept the fact that they wouldn't be taking this next step together. Somehow he was going to have to find a way to reassure her so she wasn't overcome with guilt. She didn't need to be hurting like this too. He managed a small smile for her as he stood up but it was drowned in sadness.

"It's okay, Olivia. You don't have to agree. I don't want to push you into this."

That seemed to snap Olivia out of her daze. She shook her head at him and stepped forward to wrap her arms around him. Ben wasn't sure what that meant and he missed the gentle smile on her face. Olivia pressed her head to his, her mouth close to his ear.

"Give me a second to get a word in, you idiot."

She pulled back from him and kissed him firmly. Ben was so startled it took him a moment to respond to the kiss. As he finally did he let his hopes soar. It was hard to believe that maybe, just maybe, he'd read her earlier hesitance wrong. When she pulled away he wanted to linger in the kiss a little bit longer. Instead he ended the kiss and gave her a second quick peck. He could see the laughter glowing in her eyes after that, and he grinned back. Unable to help herself, Olivia leaned in for a third kiss, this one just as short as the second.

"Okay."

"Okay?" he asked in confusion. What, exactly, was she saying okay to?

"Okay, I'll marry you."

And that was it.

Ben didn't think he'd ever felt happier in his life. The smile that split his face was about as ear to ear as it could get. He was almost literally glowing in happiness. Even though about all Ben wanted to do was throw his arms around her and hold her tight, he couldn't help teasing her a little.

"Okay? That's all I get?"

Olivia's smile twitched even wider at the teasing.

"Yes, Ben. I'll marry you." She leaned in to kiss him. "Is that better?"

"Much better," he returned and finally engulfed her in his arms.

Olivia tossed her arms around him as Ben lifted her up and twirled her in a circle. Laughter bubbled out of Olivia and her face lit up, shining with the light of pure happiness. A part of her felt like she would burst from trying to contain it, while another part could hardly believe this was happening.

Both Ben and Olivia were startled out of their moment of happiness when Suvi whined. Olivia glanced over to see what was bothering him but still kept her arms firmly around Ben. She spotted him right next to the table where Ben's proposal was. Something on the table was firmly holding his attention, though he was so close that he was nearly going cross-eyed staring at it. His tongue flicked over his lips but he still didn't take the treat that was only inches away. Instead he whined again and didn't move. Chuckling, Olivia reached out and rubbed his head.

"Go ahead, Suvi."

Suvi gave a little yip of happiness and launched himself up to snag the treat. He landed lightly back on his feet and started munching.

"I couldn't forget him," Ben told her warmly. "Thankfully he's so much easier to woo than you are."

"Thanks," Olivia returned blandly.

Grinning, Ben revealed the small jewelry box again and offered it to her.

"I think this will do more to woo you than a dog treat."

It was the first time Olivia had really gotten a good look at the ring, and it nearly took her breath away. The ring was absolutely gorgeous. She unconsciously touched the necklace he'd given her for Christmas. There were definite similarities between it and the ring. Like the necklace the ring used the number three in its design, which had basically become the symbol of their relationship. There were three medium sized diamonds in the center with three small ones coming off them on either side of the band. She was still staring at the ring when Ben pulled it from the box and took her hand. Her eyes followed it as he slid it onto her finger. It was still so unbelievable. She'd given up years ago on ever seeing a ring on her finger, and now she had one. A beautiful one too. She couldn't help wiggling her fingers to see the light dance off of her ring.

"And I think we're in need of a more appropriate song."

He clicked the little remote he'd had hidden in his pocket and the song changed. While "Start of Something Good" played Olivia pressed herself against Ben's chest and curled her head against his. Ben was more than happy to wrap his arms around her and hold her close. It felt so good, especially when he realized that he was holding his fiancé. When the song ended she looked up at him.

"This is definitely the start of something good. Or maybe the end of something good and the start of something better."

"I like that," he returned with a grin.

"I think we've both waited long enough to find the right person."

They most definitely had, and Ben couldn't be happier that the wait was finally over. She was his now, and he was hers. Or maybe they both just belonged to Suvi. Sometimes it was hard to tell. That was fine as long as he got Olivia in the process.

"Now you're going to be OOooo."

Olivia tipped her head and looked at him questioningly, her forehead wrinkled in confusion. She was used to his nonsensical comments and usually she could translate them into something that made sense. This time though he'd completely lost her.

"What?"

Ben grinned at her, completely unperturbed by his supposed insanity.

"Olivia Ollenghy," he explained. "OOooo."

Olivia didn't even try to hide her amusement and let her laughter run freely. The warm sound of it surrounded them like a blanket.

"You really are cheesy."

"But I'm your cheesy now."

"Ugh. Yes, I guess you are. I might have to drink more wine to go with all of your cheese."

It took Ben a long time to pull himself together after that one. He even had to rub at his eyes to keep them from watering too much. Apparently he really had rubbed off on her.

"And we should celebrate that," Ben replied before he vanished from the room.

After a moment Olivia followed along behind him. Suvi glanced at her, took a step to follow, and stopped. He wanted to go with her but… He darted back to the table, jumped up, snagged a treat, and trotted toward the door. There. Now he was good.

Olivia and Suvi found Ben next to the fridge in the kitchen. He held out two large cups with straws and passed one to Olivia. She recognized the logo on the cups. They were from the smoothie shop where they'd gone on their first date. She grinned and took a sip. It was definitely a wonderful way to celebrate.

"You know, now that we're engaged we'll have to debate all the songs we could use at our wedding."

Olivia snorted. Of course they would. Knowing Ben he probably had a million ideas already.

"You already have a list, don't you?"

"I had a hard time picking what to use today. "God Bless the Broken Road" seemed appropriate. Our relationship was the most pothole riddled road I've ever been on."

Olivia shook her head slightly and couldn't help leaning against him. Ben happily wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close.

"What else did you come up with?" she teased.

""All of You." It's also rather appropriate. Then there's "With Me" by Sum 41 or "You're Not Alone" by the Eagles. Of course there's also "Trust Me" to consider and…"

Olivia reached up and put a finger to his lips to silence him. Ben fell silent and kissed her finger mischievously.

"I get the idea. I guess we'll just have to listen to them all tonight."

"We have time to decide," Ben agreed.

"And even more time to spend together."

With this proposal a new door had opened for Olivia, and she was eager to walk through it. The last door she'd walked through with Suvi had given her so much. Now it was happening again, only this time she'd have Ben by her side too. She was definitely ready to live a new chapter of her life, to find even more happiness. Now she had that opportunity. Because of Ben. And, most importantly, because of Vesuvius.

Author's Note: Well, that's it everybody! While this will be the last full story of the series, I will be doing some short side stories at some point. (I already have some ideas written out.) They won't be in any particular order, but it will give me the opportunity to leave the story open for more additions that would take place after this story. I definitely won't be writing out the full wedding, but if there's something specific at any point you'd like to see let me know! I hope you all enjoyed it.