October 30, 2003 – 19:06
"Aww, that was quite the unexpected moment, ladies and gentlemen. We should apologize for the longer intermission, but we won't. Tonight, history was written in front of your eyes, as…"
Frank felt he was on cloud 9 while returning to the team's box. She said Yes. That alone was a victory. He figured that realistically, she probably wouldn't be going home with him that night, but she was still his. In the end, that was all he needed to hear.
As far as he was concerned, he and Coralis were now engaged, that was what mattered to him at the moment. If that meant 24/7 bodyguards, so be it, he didn't care. They would figure this out, together. He didn't lose her.
The stadium staff stopped by the team's box entryway and he got in. The people in the box ignored the game and awaited their turn to hug and congratulate him.
"I knew she wouldn't tell you no!" said Victoria, as she passed her arms around him. "I'm the one here who's known her the longest. Didn't I tell you that you didn't have anything to be worried about?"
"You did, yes. But don't lie, you were worried too."
"Yeah, well, like I said, this wasn't the first time she shut herself to everyone else. Last time wasn't pretty, but she came back to us, eventually."
Stephanie looked at Victoria, wondering what happened the last time, but she didn't want to ruin the moment. Seeing her brother over the moon, after 3 painful weeks, was what mattered at the moment. It was a question she would ask Coralis on a different night. That night was about celebration, not reminiscing a past that no one wanted to talk about.
"This couldn't be a more hopeful moment," said Ralphonse as he sat down again. "However, keep in mind that as far as our community is concerned, this isn't just merely an engagement. Everyone in attendance witnessed Blue Thunder clearly stating that she accepted you as her mate. Flyball is an extremely popular sport among the mage community. I guarantee you that I am not the only CMMA employee present here tonight."
"Ralphonse is correct," said Marita, while slightly pushing up her own wedding ring to reveal the branding underneath, her left hand raised in front of her. "Your speech was touching," she continued, her eyes going between her ring finger and Frank, "but if there are some CMMA agents from the Department of Family Affairs in attendance, they will probably intercept Blue before she leaves the field tonight."
"Meaning that as far as the elemental world is concerned, you and Blue will be considered married from the moment they brand her finger. The rest are formalities," said Victoria.
"They'll be considered married, yes, but even if she declared accepting him as her mate, he won't be considered as such until she completes the ritual and marks him, and that is if they go for the elemental ritual," said Ralphonse.
"That's fine by me," said Frank, still reeling over what happened. "It means that she can't change her mind."
His mind was so focused on getting her attention, on getting a confirmation that she wanted to commit to him, that he didn't think beyond that. To him, the idea of her being already considered his wife by her own people, knowing they don't divorce, was a bonus. He was aware that she had a different upbringing, but at that moment, he didn't care. She said Yes and there was no going back.
"True. She can't back out of it. Your speech was great and you had the crowd behind you. With what you said right in front of our people, the CMMA isn't going to doubt that you were there of your own free will. Clearly, you weren't coerced. That took a massive amount of courage to do what you did on the field," said Hector.
Stephanie was lost in her thoughts, remembering when Sebastian proposed to her and the branding procedure they went through, with the CMMA agents extensively questioning her and Coralis. She remembered when Sebastian received his branding at the end of August. She was suddenly pulled out of it by a loud female voice.
"And that would be correct," said Vallia, as she entered the box. "Another agent will be intercepting Blue Thunder at the 2nd intermission. That was a well-thought-out speech we heard and she has a good track record with the CMMA, so we don't need to investigate further."
"Oh, hey Vallia!" said Ralphonse, looking at the newcomer. "Why am I not surprised to see you here tonight?"
"I'd be disappointed if you would have been surprised," said Vallia, turning her attention to Frank. "Young man, do you fully realize what you just tonight?"
"Beyond my girl saying yes to me? I like to think that I accomplished my mission tonight. I meant every word I said on the field earlier. Maybe I'm not grasping everything, but so long as I'm not losing her, that's all that matters to me."
"In my opinion, considering what Blue represents to our community and that we're in the middle of a witch hunt initiated by humans, I think we witnessed history and something positive that we all needed to see. I find myself agreeing with tonight's announcers," said Vallia.
"Is it just me or does it look like flashes of lightning are following her?" said Frank.
"It's not just you, let's just say it's a glimpse of why people have been calling her Blue Thunder since she was 11," said Victoria.
"She told me that she doesn't know exactly why people been have calling her that," said Frank.
"If they are going to brand Blue's finger at the next intermission, I won't have the time to tell you that story."
"Correct, it's time. Bring at least one witness with you."
"Now?" said Frank.
"Get used to it, now that you're a part of our world. We don't waste time with that kind of thing," said Hector.
"Fine by me," said Frank as he got up to follow Vallia.
Stephanie and Victoria followed them. They didn't want to miss it.
When the siren signaled the second intermission, Erik and Henry flew to The Northerners' field entry.
"I still don't quite believe what happened at the last intermission," said Coralis as their feet touched the ground.
"I don't think I need to tell you why I'm here," said Vectan as soon as Erik wrapped his arms around her for a hug.
"Were you behind this?" said Coralis to Sebastian, chuckling behind her.
"Frank needed my help, but that was his idea. Agents being present at the game was to be expected, that's not us."
"Choose at least one witness and follow me," said Vectan.
"As if any of us are going to miss this," said Henry.
Coralis struggled to understand what had happened at the previous intermission. While they played the second period, she wondered if she had imagined Frank in the middle of their field, addressing the crowd like he did.
Her emotions were conflicted. She missed him but didn't know how she would be able to keep him safe if she didn't imagine what had happened.
She couldn't wrap her mind around what was happening: she should be in their locker room with her teammates. She followed Vectan to a small room that was generally used for private meetings between team officials and players, still overwhelmed with conflicting emotions. Sebastian, Erik and Henry were behind her.
She saw Vallia talking to Frank, Stephanie and Victoria. Coralis hadn't seen Vallia since she was 9 when she visited her and her cousin at their group home. Then Frank turned to look at her.