Facing Fear

๐Ÿคฃ๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿคฃ๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿคฃ๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿคฃ *falls on the floor laughing hysterically*


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Carter ignored Mason the first time he walked passed her desk. She also ignored him the second, third and fourth time. When he strolled past for the fifth time, she snapped.


"Mason! For crying out loud say what you want from me or I'll throw this snow globe at you."


Carter wasn't worried about her fellow FBI coworkers giving her strange looks because it was the end of the day and the floor was mostly empty. Mason crossed his arms.


"No you wouldn't," he said. "Not because you know you would hurt me, but because your boy scout husband gave you that Mexico snow globe and you wouldn't want to break it."


At least he wasn't as stupid as he looked.


"What do you want?" she asked.


"So Donovan is on a mission," Mason said.


"What do you want?"


"I don't want anything from you."


"Spit it out or leave me alone."


Mason worked his jaw as if his words were banging around his mouth but he didn't want to let them out. Carter stared at him for another second then went back to typing up her report. Mason hovered just in the corner of her eye, clearly warring with himself. Signing off, Carter slipped on her jacket.


"I'm leaving now," she said, striding away to the elevators.


When she punched the down button, Mason materialized beside her. She cast him a look.


"I'm leaving too," he said.


Carter had to remind herself that punching Mason wouldn't fix any problem, though she did know it would make her feel better.


The ride down was silent with Carter ignoring Mason and Mason acting like he wasn't fighting to say something.


When Carter headed towards her car in the parking garage, Mason continued on right along side her. It was only when she climbed into the driver seat and he climbed into the passenger seat that she broke the silence.


"What are you doing?" she asked.


"I need a ride home."


Carter looked across the way to where his silver BMW sat in the garage. She continued to stare at it until Mason decided to lie.


"It's not working."


"Call a tow truck."


"I will. Later."


Carter started the car and pulled out. As she edged the nose of the car onto the street, Mason spoke.


"Go right," he said. "I need to pick something up."


Shaking her head, Carter swung the car out into traffic. Mason directed her where to go and Carter wondered why she didn't just shove him out of the car when he'd first gotten in. She couldn't do it now cause she didn't look good in orange.


"Pull up here," Mason said.


Carter angled the car up to the curb and put it in park. Mason climbed out but stuck his head back in.


"Aren't you coming?" he asked.


"Mason, you've picked up this really annoying habit from growing up under a politician, you won't simply come out and say something."


"You're an FBI agent, make a deduction."


Carter peered through the front window at the line of store fronts. Rolling her eyes, she turned off the car and stepped out. Mason had the decency to open the door for her, probably knowing he'd have to shove her to get her inside. Just beyond the entrance, Carter stopped and crossed her arms, gazing around.


"This should be something you do with Link," she said.


Mason shoved his hands into his pockets.


"You know exactly why I'm not doing it with him."


"I don't think I do."


A scowl formed on Mason's brow. "Because he would be so excited and happy for me that he'd say things like 'I'm proud of you', 'this is a big step', 'thanks for letting me be a part of this'. Naturally that would make me overthink everything and possibly back out."


"When is it happening?"


"Tonight."


"Last minute so you can't back down?"


"Kind of what I was thinking."


"So I'm here for..."


Mason shrugged. "You'll insult me and mock all my choices and it will help me not stress."


"Well you are an idiot and make terrible decisions so I don't know how I couldn't mock everything you do."


Mason smiled at her. "Thanks, Carter."


Feigning annoyance, she waved her hand, gesturing him forward and into the rows and rows of glittering display cases. Looking like a man heading into war, Mason moved forward. The gray-haired employ behind the counter watched them, but seemed to sense it was not time to speak. It took Mason a full turn around the store before he even approached a case.


"Finally!" Carter said. "I thought this was going to take all night."


Shooting her a glare, Mason bent over the case, eyeing the rings.


"I like that one," Mason said.


Carter scoffed. "You're joking? That looks like a boulder mounted on a wire."


"Yeah, it's one of the biggest diamonds. So she can show it off."


Carter rubbed her eyes like Mason's idiocy was causing a headache.


"Mason, I've meet Yvette enough times to know she'd hate that ring. She takes care of herself but isn't overly glamorous so she wouldn't want somethingย  flashy. She's smart but practical, so she'd want something that she can wear and not worry about snagging or getting caught on things. She's beautiful but in a subtle way. She'd want..."


Carter scanned the cases before stopped and pointing down at a band embedded with diamonds.


"She'd want this ring," she said.


Mason scrutinized the choice for a long while, though Carter knew he was doing it because he didn't want to admit she was right. He cleared his throat.


"Yeah, that does look like something she'd like," he said.


As if summoned by this encouraging words, the attendant popped up behind the case.


"An excellent choice, sir," he said, removing the ring in question and setting it on the counter top.


Mason picked it up and Carter watched as an almost excited glimmer brightened his eyes.


"Calm down, it's just a ring," she said.


Mason snapped his brows down as the attendant looked shocked.


"This will do," Mason said.


"Wonderful," the attendant said. "Do you have the woman's ring size?"


Mason dug out a ring from his pocket and handed it over. Stowing the chosen ring away, the man bustled off to find the ring that matched in size to the one Mason gave him.


"I had to sneak into her room to get that," Mason said.


"Sneak into her room, like you haven't been in..."


The color overtaking Mason's cheeks was all the response Carter needed. She was surprised. She knew Donovan and her were out of the ordinary for deciding to wait for marriage. But she knew she hadn't wanted to risk a surprise baby and so Donovan had agreed. But Mason?


"Did she tell you her reasoning?" Carter asked.


Mason leaned on the display case and gazed down on the rings like they were the most interesting things he'd ever seen.


"Yeah, she said it's a really efficient way to find out if a guy likes her for her and if he's worth keeping around."


Carter liked Yvette even more.


"And you made the cut? Shocking."


Mason side eyed her. "Yes, it's almost as shocking as the fact someone hasn't shot you yet for being so obnoxious."


Before either of them could get into a verbal battle, the attendant returned. With the ring packaged and paid for, they pair left.


"We have one more stop to make," Mason said.


"Yay me."


When they eventually got to Mason's apartment, Carter had completed her mission of making Mason want to throttle her instead of being nervous.


"You have to help me," he said.


"I'm rather die, thank you very much."


"That can be arranged," Mason said, pulling out the dozens of candles he'd bought.


"Oh, and you would be the one to do it?" Carter asked, ripping off the head of a rose and starting to sprinkle the petals across the floor. "I could beat you with only my feet and my eyes closed."


"That sounds like how you get around in life, blind and upside down."


Carter kept spreading roses while Mason spread out the candles.


"That doesn't even make sense, but you know coming from you that's not surprising, you hardly ever make sense."


Back and forth they went as the apartment was transformed into a glowing rose scented dream. When Carter ran out of roses, she collected the stems and threw them away.


"At least with the low lighting she won't be able to see all of your face, that way she might even say yes."


"Just because Donovan had to be half blind to find you attractive doesn't mean other people have that problem."


Carter snorted and walked to the door. She grabbed the handle but turned back.


"Please tell me you're going to say more than a lame, 'will you marry me'?"


Mason paused.


"And don't do that 'marry me' crap. You are supposed to be asking, not demanding. And if you don't get down on one knee, you're ridiculous. If you're going to be humble at one point in your life, might as well make it this one. Later, loser."


"Whatever," Mason huffed.


"I would wish you luck but there isn't enough of it in the world for this."


"You can leave now!"


Carter threw him a salute and headed into the hallway. As she neared the elevator, the doors slide open revealing Yvette. Her dark curls were pulled into a ponytail and her face was only slightly highlighted with makeup. She looked comfortable. When she saw Carter, she hesitated.


"Is this what I think it is?" she asked.


They traded places, Carter stepping onto the elevator as Yvette stepped off.


"Yes, but why you would want it to be is beyond me," Carter said.


Yvette smiled softly. "Do you want to know why?"


Carter pressed her hand to the doors, keeping them open.


"Yeah, I actually do. I know him and I can't see it."


"It's because when he told me he loved me, he looked like it was the hardest thing he'd ever said. That's how I knew it was real and not some line. Since then I've been waiting, knowing that it will take time for him to feel he can fully commit."


"You understand him really well."


She shrugged like making sense of Mason Douglas wasn't like understanding astrophysics.


"He's damaged but beneath that is someone who wants to be loved and to love."


"Then boy do I hope he doesn't screw this up," Carter said.


Laughing, Yvette waved goodbye and headed down the hallway. Carter watched her, wishing Mason luck.


*****


This was stupid. He was an idiot for thinking that this was a good idea. He blamed Carter, she was supposed to make this better but she'd failed.


Mason stood in the center of the living room, but that felt too stiff, so he tried to lounge against the counter that stuck out into the living room. No, too cocky. He moved to the couch and sat down. Too relaxed. He stood up and perched on the arm of the couch. Was that okay? Or did he look too eager?


Growling with frustration, Mason pulled out his phone and dashed off a message.


"I hate you, you didn't help."


The reply came quickly. "Man up and stop being a wuss, idiot."


The words calmed Mason right as the door opened and Yvette walked inside. Dressed only in her bartending outfit of slacks and a black t-shirt he wasn't sure there was anyone more beautiful than her.


She gazed around the apartment, taking in the petals and candles. Smiling like she knew his secret, she set her things down by the door and slipped out of her shoes. How could someone doing the simplest action make him want to kiss her?


"This is fancy," she said, walking closer.


Mason felt like he was going to throw up. How could he be so nervous around someone who knew how messed up he was and still care about him? How did she care about him? It didn't make sense. He knew who he was? He'd accepted that a long time ago, but here was a girl who he wanted to be better for, wanted to change for. He wanted to have kids with and he didn't like kids!


When Mason didn't speak, Yvette arched one playful eyebrow. An eyebrow so perfect that he wanted to kiss it.


"Mason," she said, prompting him.


Carter's accusation of not doing a lame proposal spurred Mason on.


"I don't like people," Mason said. "Generally. They annoy me and most aren't as smart as me so I find talking to them to be really boring."


A dimple appeared in one of Yvette's beautifully round, soft, brown cheek and Mason forgot his line of thought for a second. He swallowed.


"I've grown up around politicians and their kids and they were so fake that I hated them all. They never meant what they said and their smiles were never real most of the time. When I first came to the restaurant with Link and saw you at the bar I was struck by your smile."


He flexed his fingers, his nerves making them ache.


"You smiled but it didn't feel false. You were happy to serve, even to the idiots who hit on you. When I told you who I was, you didn't care. My family meant nothing to you. I think right then I started to fall for you. I've grown up a Douglas, First Son. That drew people to me. But not you."


Too sappy, he was getting too sappy, he needed rein this is. He need to propose, not make a complete and utter idiot of himself. Yet that's what he was doing. Spewing all his thoughts to her, like she wanted to hear them. They were stupid, she didn't want to hear them.


As if reading his thoughts, Yvette reached out and laced her fingers through his. How could something feel so right? How could he feel like her hand in his made him feel safe and comforted? How could she know he needed this? Needed her?


"I don't think my dad is a good example of a loving husband. Actually, I think he's a terrible one. And I'm...I don't want to fail you."


Yvette cupped Mason's cheek. He mentally swore. This woman! How did she love him?!


Mason dropped to his knee because in that moment it felt like the only thing he could do. She would be taking on a mess of a case almost as sad as Carter. But Mason thought about how Donovan put up with her for a long time, maybe Yvette could be that for Mason.


"I'm not asking you to marry me," Mason said.


He took out the velvet box and snapped open the lid. He loved Yvette more than he thought possible when she never broke eye contact with him.


"I'm not asking you," he continued. "I'm begging you. Because I know that if I don't marry you I will be the most intolerable man on earth for the rest of my life."


Mason looked down at the ring, which felt too small, too simple to hold all that he felt for her.


"Please marry me," he said. "And give me the honor of making your life chaos, of getting to know what it's like to wake up next to you, of trying to be enough of a whole man that you'll love for more than a few years."


When he raised his head again, Yvette smiled down at him. She kissed him and Mason knew nothing would ever make him feel as happy as her lips.


Then she went and proved him wrong by saying the one thing that made him not feel so broken.


"Yes."


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Boo!
(Shoot, never mind I've already done that, whatever)


There you have it Mason Douglas has finally committed, who knew it was possible. Okay now you have to share your thoughts cause I wrote from Mason's POV, so GO! ๐Ÿ—ฏ๐Ÿ’ญ๐Ÿ’ฌ


I have to say, I've written a lot of proposals and this might be my favorite. Especially since it's so raw in a way and because it's coming from Mason. You agree?


Mason and Carter are my happy place, I get to make them as mean as I want and they both dish it out and take it and somehow still remain friends. It makes me beyond happy!


Honestly with writing A Royal's Tale which is kinda intense (for obvious reasons) I need some happiness and so that's why I wrote this.


If you have suggestions for Mason and Carter scenes let me know.


Vote, comment, follow!


Hey look it's Carter and Mason as kittens!


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