{edited/rewritten}
now i'm scared and alone
but i'm aware that there's no place like home
---
The next morning, I awoke to the other side of my bed being empty. I was a little sad that the spot next to me was ice cold, indicting that Chance had gotten out of bed long ago. I decided to get out of bed and take a long, hot shower. I stayed under the water for a long time, letting my mind wander to everything and anything. Once my body felt like it was going to melt away, I finished up and got out.
I stood in front of my closet for a long time, debating on what to wear. I went for the jean shorts and Captain American t-shirt. It was beginning to get warmer outside, since summer was slowly approaching. After I was finished getting dressed, I quickly blow dried my hair and put socks on my feet. I smiled at my makeup free face in the mirror and went downstairs. The smell of bacon and eggs made my stomach growl loudly. I was starving.
Hannah, Ryan, my whole family, and Chance were all in t he kitchen just laughing and talking. My mom saw me first, giving me a wide smile and wishing me good morning. The smile on Chance's face grew even wider, if that was even possible, when his eyes landed on me. He put the spatula in his hand down and came over to m, giving me a kiss on my forehead.
I laid my head on his chest and he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "Can you make me some eggs too?"
Chance smiled, "Of course, love. Coming right up."
Chance detached himself from me and went back over to the stove, cracking two eggs and making scrambled eggs with cheese for me. He added some bacon to my plate with the eggs and a piece of toast. I took the plate from him, thanking him in the process, and sat down next to Hannah.
"What are you doing today? I miss you, let's do something?" I asked Hannah with a mouthful of eggs.
She chuckled. "What a graceful Luna we have."
I poked her with my fork. "So? Girls day?"
She shook her head. "Sorry girl, Chance has already claimed dibs on you."
Hannah frowned and I laughed softly and looked over at Chance. "What are you planning, Chance?"
My grandparents got up from the table and put their dishes in the dish washer. They walked out of the house, hand in hand, most likely going on their routinely morning walk together around the pack. I smiled, wanting that kind of love when I'm older. "It's a surprise. It's a little far so I was hoping we could let our wolves out and go for a run together to get there. We haven't done that in a while."
Chance was going to say something else but stopped himself because he didn't need to. We haven't run together with our wolves since before I was taken from the Chance. I cleared my throat, wanting to make the silence between us disappear. "You're right, we haven't run together in a while and I think both of us need that. When did you want to leave?"
Chance had his back to me but I could see his shoulders relax. I think he was scared that I was going to revert back to how I was before with the thought of being kidnapped by Carter. I'm okay now. I'm not fully better, but I'm slowly getting there.
"In an hour?"
"Sounds great. I'm going to go and catch up with Hannah for a bit in her room. Come get me when you're ready."
***
By one in the afternoon, Chance and I were running full force through the woods, howling and nipping at each other's paws and tails. He let me lead us through the woods for a little while wondering around everywhere. After a little while, Chance and I were walking side by side. He nuzzled my side a few times and gave me a wolfish smile. Every time he looked at me, I fell in love a little bit more.
Chance nudged my side and stopped walking. I titled my head and he nodded his head to the left. I followed closely behind him. He led me through a bunch of trees and bushes. Once we made it to an opening, I took a sharp intake of breath. I was looking over a cliff and into the ocean. It was one of the first places Chance and I went to when we came back home after I turned. I remember falling asleep out here next to hm, feeling safer than I ever had before. How did he remember this? This feels like so long ago. This is also where I would go to clear my head after I came back from being kidnapped. I would sit out here for hours and sketch everything. My therapist thought it was a good idea to claim a spot for myself, just for me.
Chance shifted in front of me and put on a pair of shorts and a shirt that was laying on a blanket in front of me. There was a picnic basket on the blanket and wine glasses. I felt like crying. We haven't had a date in forever and now we're having one at one of my favorite places ever. The place where I feel most safe.
Chance handed me a pair of clothes from my closet at home. I shifted once he turned around and put on the One Direction t-shirt and jean shorts.
"Do you like it?" He asked me once I was done shifting and getting dressed.
"I love it, Chance, I really do. How did you remember?"
Chance scratched the back of his neck and looked away sheepishly. "One night, after your therapy session, I followed you. I was always wondering where you were heading off too in the evenings after your sessions. I know I shouldn't have done it but I just wanted to make sure you were safe because you wouldn't be coming back until late at night. I had lost you once, I didn't want to lose you again. So, I followed you and found you here. You were asleep and your sketch book was open beside you. I stayed and watched you until you woke up and came back. You keep coming back here so I assumed it really meant something to you."
I nodded, trying to stop the tears from falling. "It does mean something to me. It's my safe place. It's where I come and forget about Carter. It's the only place on pack grounds where I don't see him or feel him touching me. It means a whole lot to me. It's okay that you followed me out here. I wanted to show you this place one day, when I knew I was ready. I think I am ready."
Chance smiled softly and came closer to me, putting his hands on my waist and kissing me gently on the lips. I smiled into the kiss, loving the feeling of his lips on mine. We broke away when my stomach made a very unflattering noise.
"Are you hungry? Your grandma cooked for us this morning. She knows I'm useless when it comes to anything other than breakfast foods so she insisted on helping."
Chance took my hands and led me to the blanket. I laughed softly because it was true. Chance was a horrible cook, me included. I burn hot pockets. So, hearing that my grandma helped him with this made me so happy and it made my stomach grumble.
I sat down on the blanket and Chance sat down in front of me. He opened the basket and handed me my favorite meal; a four-cheese grilled cheese sandwich. I smiled brightly and quickly dug in. Chance popped open the bottle of wine and filled the glass that was in front of me. We ate and drank in silence for a bit and after about fifteen minutes of me just enjoying the view, Chance broke the silence. "There's also another reason why I brought you out here."
I washed last bit of my sandwich down with the wine and wiped my mouth with a napkin. Once I finished chewing, I looked at Chance. "And what would that be?"
Chanced turned away and looked at the sky. I sketched this skyline so many times but to me, it gets more and more beautiful every time I look at it. Chance turned to me again and inched a little closer to me, taking my hand in his. "Well, I know how much this place means to you so I wanted to give you another great memory for your spot." Chance came even closer to me so that our knees were touching. "When I first met you, I thought you were insufferable. I thought you were rude and stubborn and I wondered every day how I got paired with you. I wished for another mate. Then, there was one night where I came into your room to bother you some more and you were sleeping. Your mouth was open and you were slightly snoring and, in that moment, I felt something. I thought about how you were the most beautiful person I had ever laid eyes on. I thought that even though you annoyed me endlessly, I wouldn't mind being annoyed by you for the rest of my life. I was so used to giving orders and having everyone submit to me but then you came along and shook everything up in my life. You came into my life like a hurricane. I thought you were messing my life up but in reality, you were only making it better. We have been through hell and back this past year and a half but we came out stronger than ever. I fell in love with, Bailey, and I keep falling in love with you more and more each day. You make me so unbelievably happy and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. My life was pointless until you came along and put some meaning back into it. What I'm trying to say, Bailey, is will you marry me?"
Chance was now on one knee, a black box in his hand. I was ugly crying, full on sobbing with snot coming out of my nose. I didn't know what to say. My heart was beating so fast. Chance was smiling so big and my heart felt so full. I jumped into his arms and screamed, "Yes!"
Chance fell backwards and I was laying on top of him, my tears never once ceasing. He pushed me a bit so that we were both sitting upright again. Chance slipped the ring onto my finger and stood up. He reached for my hand and helped me up as well. Chance picked me up and spun me around showering me with kisses and wiping my happy tears away.
"I love you so goddamn much, Bailey."
"I love you more."
And what I said was true. I did love him more, more than words could even explain. He was my world. He brought my back from a place I thought I could never escape. Chance helped me find myself.
He helped me find out what love really is a
_____________
oh shit.
last chapter but there will be an epilogue.
so stay tuned for that!
Song of Chapter: You Told Me So by Jacob Whitesides